Defence Forces urged to ban recruitment of under-18s

The Children's Ombudsman is calling on the Defence Forces to ban the recruitment of soldiers aged under 18.

Emily Logan is making the call as part of an assessment on how well Ireland complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when it comes to protecting under-18s involved in armed conflicts.

She says more than one-fifth of Irish army recruits are still children under the law as they are below the age of 18.

Ms Logan also says she is concerned that the Government is not doing enough to support the needs of former child soldiers from abroad who now live in Ireland.