Country report and updates: Bahrain

1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed since the achievement of independence in 1971. [2]

Conscription is not likely to be introduced in the future. In fact, the government stated in 1992: "Government policy is unlikely to change on this subject due to the nature of defence requirements and the social and cultural infrastructure of Bahraini society." [1]

recruitment

No information available.

2 Conscientious objection

There is no known legal provision for conscientious objection.

In 1992 the government informed the United Nations Commission on Human Rights: "Bahrain has never experienced any person claiming conscientious objection to military service (...). The Government supports the Commission on Human Rights in its consideration of questions of conscientious objection to military service." [1]

3 Desertion

No information available.

6 Annual statistics

The armed forces are 11,000-strong, which is about 1.84 percent of the population. [3]

Sources

[1] UN Commission on Human Rights 1992. Report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant to Commission resolution 1991/65. (and 3 Addendums). United Nations, Geneva. [2] US Library of Congress 1993. Persian Gulf States - a country report. Area Handbooks, State Department, Washington DC. [3] Institute for Strategic Studies 1997. Military Balance 1997/98. ISS, London.