THE COALITION to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers is calling on Britain to raise the age of recruitment to the military from 16 to 18. The Ministry of Defence insists it is acting within United Nation’s guidelines. But a coalition report presented to an international conference in Berlin, states: “Alone among European states, the UK routinely sends 17-year-olds into combat - even though they cannot buy alcohol, vote in elections, or even join the police force.”