Human Rights of Armed Forces Personnel The “citizens in uniform” approach encapsulates an important and fundamental understanding about the position of the armed forces in a democracy under the rule of law. Encouraging members of the armed forces to regard themselves as citizens to the fullest extent possible enhances respect for human rights, which, in turn, strengthens both the military institutions themselves and how they are perceived by their members and the wider public. Box 3.1: Main human rights treaty obligations and their relevance to armed forces personnel Right Legal Source Examples of Relevance Right to life Article 3 UDHR (life, liberty and security) Extreme abuse of conscripts; non-independent or ineffective inquests into deaths on military premises or during military service and training. Article 6 ICCPR Article 6 CRC49 Article 2 ECHR Right to liberty Article 1 UDHR (liberty and equality) Article 3 UDHR (life, liberty and security) Detention under military justice systems. Article 9 ICCPR Article 5 ICERD Article 10 ICCPR Article 5 ECHR (lists circumstances where the scope of the right may be curtailed in cases prescribed by law) 49 42 Applicable for service personnel who are under 18 years old (Further details on state responsibilities regarding minimum age for voluntary recruitment and applicable safeguards in “Chapter 13: Children Associated with Armed Forces”)