Since 2003, QUNO has worked on the issue of women in prison and children of imprisoned mothers, raising awareness about various issues arising from maternal incarceration. This study, by contrast, looks at the impact of paternal incarceration on children, exploring the similarities and differences between these situations and those where it is a child’s mother that is imprisoned.
Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Wartime
In this QUNO briefing, Rachel Brett outlines the UNโs longstanding recognition of conscientious objection to military service as a universal right that must be upheld in all circumstances, including in wartime and national emergencies. Drawing on UN standards and the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under Article 18 of the ICCPR, it explains that this protection is non-derogable and cannot be suspended, even in a national crisis. The paper also highlights the importance of ensuring that soldiers and reservists can access recognition as conscientious objectors at precisely the moments when normal routes out of military service are most likely to be restricted.
