Human Rights of Armed Forces Personnel Germany • The German Armed Forces Association (Deutscher Bundeswehr Verband, or DBwV) was created together with the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in the 1950s. • Although military personnel in Germany have the right to join a trade union, the DBwV is a professional association. As such, it does not negotiate collective agreements but, rather, engages in direct advocacy with members of the German Parliament for issues of common concern to military personnel. • The association currently has about 200,000 members and has its headquarters in Berlin. Bulgaria • The Bulgarian Armed Forces Women Association (BUAFWA) was founded in 2006 as an independent association of women serving in the armed forces. The Association’s primary focus is on the implementation of Bulgaria’s commitments under UNSCR 1325. • As the association quickly grew and became more successful and influential, servicemen began to join the union, and within ten years comprised almost 20 per cent of its members. • The association is financed by membership fees only and is dependent on the voluntary work of its members. These military associations enjoy autonomy and are accountable to their members, meaning that they are able to speak with authority on their behalf. They may be recognized by the ministry of defence for negotiating purposes, and some (for example, in Germany) have very high rates of participation among eligible service members. In practice, they may be insulated from mainstream trade unionism, for example, by not participating in federations of unions. There are a few examples of associations that represent the interests of women in the armed forces, such as in Bulgaria (see Box 7.8). Where these exist, they have the potential to create an inclusive environment and provide support to women in the armed forces.267 Notwithstanding freedom of association, members of the armed forces may be legally prohibited from engaging in certain forms of collective action, especially strikes. It should be mentioned, however, that even where a military association itself is prohibited from or voluntarily forswears collective action, this may not prevent secondary collective action by another union in support of the association’s cause, where such action is legal. Finally, in several countries (including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Malta, Montenegro, Norway and Sweden), existing trade unions for members of the armed forces 267 122 Ruth Montgomery, Female Staff Associations in the Security Sector: Agents of Change? (Geneva: DCAF, 2011), https://wiisglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Female-Staff-Associations-Paper_2011.pdf.