Zivildienst in Austria

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Badge of Zivildienst (Austria, 1982) Zivildienst 2005.png
Badge of Zivildienst (Austria, 1982)

The Zivildienst (German, translated verbatim to "Civilian Service", but "compulsory paid community service" is more contextually equivalent) is the most common mandatory alternative service for conscientious objectors of the national military service in the Austrian Armed Forces. Officially called Zivildienstleistender (ZDL) or Zivildiener it is common to call them Zivi. Since 1975, drafted men may refuse the military service on conscientious reasons and serve in the compulsory alternative community service instead. This generally involves work in social services like hospitals, youth organisations, nursing homes, rescue services, emergency medical services, and care of the disabled. The service usually lasts nine months. About more than 40% of the drafted male citizens in Austria choose this option by declaring a conflict of conscience. There is no conscription for women, therefore women are not obliged to serve as a Zivi, which is just a substitute for the still existing mandatory military service.

Contents

History

In 1955, when conscription was introduced in Austria again, an alternative civilian service for conscientious objector was not provided. Similar to the so-called construction soldiers in East Germany, a regular military service without a weapon (German: ordentlicher Präsenzdienst ohne Waffe) could be performed on request. The duration of this special service took three months longer than the regular military service. Between 1956 and 1974 only 3,277 applications were made for regular military service without a weapon, of which 3,266 were approved.

The compulsory alternative community service was introduced under the Kreisky II cabinet in 1975 due to pressure by pacifist groups. The military was pleased by the development, because it led to fewer disruptions of military service due to pacifists refusing the use of weapons. Once an Austrian has completed compulsory alternative service, he is exempt from military service for life, and can therefore never be called for military duty, but if necessary again to a special alternative civilian service.

Though compulsory community service is firmly anchored in the constitution together with military service, it is supposed to be reserved for exceptional cases. Between 1975 and 1991 conscientious objectors had to explain their doubts in front of a commission, which would determine whether or not they would be sent to the Zivildienst. The compulsory community service lasted eight months, the same length as military service. The law was amended in 1991 so that objectors only need to declare their objection, rather than facing a commission. As a result, the number of objectors rose, so the length of the civilian service was increased in stages: first to 10 months in 1992; then 11 months; then 12 months in 1997 (including two weeks of holidays).

Between 1 April 2002 and 30 September 2005, the Zivildienstverwaltungs GmbH, organized as an affiliated limited liability company of the Austrian Red Cross, was responsible for distributing compulsory service personnel on behalf of the then responsible Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior. This ended after the Austrian Constitutional Court demanded this activity as part of government and its integration into the interior ministry. Since October 2005, the Agency for the Alternative Civil Service (in German: ZISA for Zivildienstserviceagentur) handles all issues regarding the compulsory community service. [1] Originally the ZISA was a departement of the interior ministry, between January 2020 until July 2022 the ZISA was part of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism and since July 2022 the ZISA is part of the Federal Chancellery. [2]

In 2004, the term of military service was reduced to six months, as recommended by a reform commission. Accordingly, the length of compulsory community service was adapted to nine months in 2006. Compulsory community service personnel, however, have the option to add another three months to their service for better pay through a private contract.

Organisations taking advantage of Zivildienst personnel

Most conscientious objector draftees have to work for the Austrian Red Cross. Beyond that, more compulsory community service personnel have to work in eldercare and in hospitals. Other organisations are, for example, emergency medical services, kindergartens, fire brigades, in communities as crossing guards and other social organisations which care for the disabled or refugees. A few have to work in agriculture.

Occupational Areas

Occupational Areas of Zivildiener (in 2022) [3] [4] [5]
Activitytotal numberpercentage
Emergency medical services5,67439.5%
Social care and handicapped aid services3,85526.8%
Geriatric care1,61311.2%
Hospitals1,1878.3%
Child care5844.1%
Disaster relief services and civil protection3872.7%
Refugee care, integration and consulting of foreigners3902.7%
Social work in agriculture1751.2%
Public security and traffic safety (crossing guards service)1691.2%
Nursing and health care1170.8%
Care for drug addicts660.5%
Youth care430.3%
Prisons390.3%
environmental protection270.2%
Domestic memorial service250.2%
Civil defense190.1%

Types of Alternative Civilian Service

Regular Alternative Civilian Service

By 2014, more than 16,600 conscientious objectors enlisted on "Regular Alternative Civilian Service" (German: Ordentlicher Zivildienst), and the number of men enlisted for the mandatory alternative community service personnel has steadily increased. Since 2015, the number is decreasing. In 2019, the percentage of eligible men opting for Zivildienst increased again, but the actual number decreased, due to a year with a low birth rate. [6] Therefore, the Austrian government decided to widen eligibility to the so-called "partial eligibility" (German: "Teiltauglichkeit"). Starting from January 2021, every man without physical or intellectual disabilities will be eligible for Zivildienst (and military service) to have the maximum number of men available for all mandatory services. [7] [8]

Number of enrolments for mandatory alternative community service

In 1975, 344 young men only registered for the newly created alternative civilian service, since then the number of man applying for Zivildienst has risen and remains at a level of around 40-50% of all fit men. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Number of conscripts registered for Zivildienst [13] [6] [14] [5]
YearNumberPercentageNumber of fit conscriptsNumber of partially fit conscripts (since 2021)
201515,88848.65%32,659-
201614,98746.16%32,468-
201713,93245.79%30,815-
201813,46643.82%30,728-
201913,42847.77%28,107-
202014,09348.40%29,114-
202115,39242,95%35,835641
202216,380N/AN/A711
202314,63045.50%31,516639

Regional differences of enrolments for mandatory alternative community service

There are severe regional differences, while in Vorarlberg (52.8%) and Vienna (53.5%) more than half of the drafted men registered for the mandatory alternative community service (as of 2014), in Carinthia only slightly more than a quarter (26.3%) of eligible male citizens become conscientious objectors. [15] By 2018, 66% of the male citizens of Vienna had opted to become Zivis. [16] [17] [18]

Draft to Zivildienst per state in 2022 [4] [5] [19]
StateNumber of conscripted men for ZivildienstPercentage
Vienna3,28322.85%
Upper Austria 2,81519.59%
Lower Austria 2,30216.02%
Styria 1,83012.73%
Tyrol 1,2969.02%
Vorarlberg9606.68%
Salzburg 9026.28%
Carinthia5483.81%
Burgenland 4343.02%

Special Alternative Civilian Service

In times of crisis or during the state of emergency, the government can re-draft conscientious objectors under the age of 50, who already fulfilled their regular obligatory civil alternative service, for "Special Alternative Civilian Service" (German: Außerordentlicher Zivildienst). [20] In April 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in history of Austrian Zivildienst, 3,500 men started with Außerordentlicher Zivildienst. 2,000 men volunteered and 1,500 men were drafted to special alternative service for the duration of three months after fulfilling their period of service to assist in the Austrian medical service. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] Due to a lack of necessity, the "Special Alternative Civilian Service" was stopped at the end of July 2020 . [26] Despite the return of the pandemic in 2021, no further Außerordentlicher Zivildiener was drafted in 2021. [27]

Voluntary services as an alternative to the regular Zivildienst

Austrian Service Abroad

Since 1992, Austrian conscripts have the opportunity to work abroad. Andreas Maislinger took the idea from the German Action Reconciliation Service for Peace and founded the Austrian Service Abroad (in German: Auslandsdienst). This service is not part of the regular alternative civilian service, but a substitute to the regular Zivildienst which exempts its participants from the compulsory community service. These positions are very popular, so participants often have to wait for years in order to receive one. The Austrian Service Abroad lasts twelve months and can be served in three different services:

Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service

The German name is Gedenkdienst (for Memorial Service). The organization takes care of victims of Nazism. [28]

Austrian Social Service

The Austrian Social Service supports the social and economic development of a country. It can be done at various deployment locations that are operated by a multitude of partner organisations.

Austrian Peace Service

The Austrian Peace Service service can be provided in five accepted partner organizations, which are in China, Israel, Japan or the Netherlands. Goal is to spend a year in those countries and understand the enormous complexity of the conflicts and to make a little contribution to the lasting assurance of peace.

Voluntary ecological year

Since 2013, it is possible to volunteer for the program of the voluntary ecological year (in German: Freiwilliges Umweltjahr / FUJ) for a minimum period of 10 months instead of the Zivildienst. The FUJ is an educational and orientation year for teenagers and young adults. [29]

Voluntary social year

Since 2016, it is possible to volunteer for a minimum of 10 months for the program of the voluntary social year (in German: Freiwilliges Sozialjahr / FSJ) as an alternative to the regular Zivildienst. The reasons to join this program is, that you have some benefits, but it takes a few months longer than the Zivildienst. [30]

Compensation for Food

There has been years-long controversy in Austria as to the compensation for food of compulsory community service personnel. In 2001, an amendment to the law gave users of alternative civil service draftees a duty to ensure the proper nutrition of Zivildienst personnel, but did not define what "proper nutrition" entails.

As a result, many users of compulsory community service personnel chose to pay only €6.00 EUR per day in compensation for food, resulting in many protests and complaints. In the opinion of compulsory community service personnel, €6.00 EUR per day is insufficient to guarantee proper nutrition. As a result, the issue was taken to the courts in October 2005. The judgement agreed that €6.00 EUR per day is insufficient, and determined that an appropriate amount would be between €11.26 EUR and €13.60 EUR per day. This is the same amount to which military personnel are entitled.

Weapon ban

Compulsory community service draftees are banned from owning or carrying weapons for fifteen years after completing their compulsory service, which could impact negatively on their future employability. Those who served the Zivildienst were also forbidden from later joining the police service in Austria. However, the law was amended in 2010 to introduce certain circumstances under which the weapon ban could be lifted to pursue a career with the police forces. This involves former alternative civilian service personnel making a declaration that their conscientious doubts are over. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription</span> Compulsory enlistment into national or military service

Conscription is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day under various names. The modern system of near-universal national conscription for young men dates to the French Revolution in the 1790s, where it became the basis of a very large and powerful military. Most European nations later copied the system in peacetime, so that men at a certain age would serve 1 to 8 years on active duty and then transfer to the reserve force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscientious objector</span> Person refusing military service on moral grounds

A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–industrial complex due to a crisis of conscience. In some countries, conscientious objectors are assigned to an alternative civilian service as a substitute for conscription or military service.

There was a high level of conscientious objection in East Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military service</span> Performing the service in the armed forces of a state

Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Germany</span> Overview of conscription in Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany had conscription for male citizens between 1956 and 2011. On 22 November 2010, the German Minister of Defence proposed to the government to put conscription into abeyance on 1 July 2011. The constitution, however, retains provisions that would legalize the potential reintroduction of conscription.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in Greece</span> Overview of conscription in Greece

Since 1914, Greece has had mandatory military service (conscription) of 12 months in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for men between the age of 19 to 45. Citizens discharged from active service are normally placed in the Reserve and are subject to periodic recall of 1–10 days at irregular intervals.

The Voluntary Social Year in Germany and, in a much lesser dimension, in Austria, is a government-funded voluntary work program particularly for young adults. It can last between six and eighteen months. It can also be spent abroad.

The voluntary ecological year in Austria and Germany is an educational and orientation year for teenagers and young adults of ages 16 through 27. The voluntary ecological year can be attended only once and usually lasts 12 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center on Conscience & War</span> American pacifist non-profit organization

The Center on Conscience & War (CCW) is a United States non-profit anti-war organization located in Washington, D.C., dedicated to defending and extending the rights of conscientious objectors. The group participates in the G.I. Rights Hotline, and works against all forms of conscription. There are no charges for any of CCW's services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civilian Public Service</span> United States conscientious objector program from 1941 to 1947

The Civilian Public Service (CPS) was a program of the United States government that provided conscientious objectors with an alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947, nearly 12,000 draftees, willing to serve their country in some capacity but unwilling to perform any type of military service, accepted assignments in "work of national importance" in 152 CPS camps throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Draftees from the historic peace churches and other faiths worked in areas such as soil conservation, forestry, fire fighting, agriculture, under the supervision of such agencies as the U.S. Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service, and the National Park Service. Others helped provide social services and mental health services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">End Conscription Campaign</span> Anti-apartheid organization allied to the United Democratic Front

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zivildienst</span> Alternative civilian service in Germany

Zivildienst is the German denomination for the alternative civilian service for conscripted persons who are conscientious objectors to fulfill their national service, typically in the fields of social work and, although rarely, environmental protection, agriculture, and public administration. As such, it is exempt from the general ban of forced labor by the European Convention on Human Rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conscription in the Netherlands</span> Overview of conscription in the Netherlands

Conscription in the Netherlands was first employed in 1810 by French occupying forces. Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte, who was King of Holland from 1806 to 1810, had tried to introduce conscription a few years earlier, unsuccessfully. Every man aged 20 years or older had to enlist. By means of drawing lots it was decided who had to undertake service in the French army. It was possible to arrange a substitute against payment.

The Austrian Red Cross is the national Red Cross Organization in Austria and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established on March 14, 1880, by Doctor Adam Lichtenheld of the Vienna General Hospital and is the biggest aid agency in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative civilian service</span> Alternative to military service in countries with military conscription

Alternative civilian service, also called alternative services, civilian service, non-military service, and substitute service, is a form of national service performed in lieu of military conscription for various reasons, such as conscientious objection, inadequate health, or political reasons. Alternative service usually involves some kind of labor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil conscription</span> Compulsory non-military labor service

Civil conscription is the obligation of civilians to perform mandatory labour for the government. This kind of work has to correspond with the exceptions in international agreements, otherwise it could fall under the category of unfree labour. There are two basic kinds of civil conscriptions. On the one hand, a compulsory service can be ordered on a temporary basis during wartimes and other times of emergency, like severe economic crisis or extraordinary natural events to provide basic services to the population. These include, but are not limited to, medical care, food supplies, defense industry supplies or cleanup efforts, following a severe weather or environmental disaster for the duration of the emergency. Therefore, it generally makes striking illegal for the duration of the civil mobilization. On the other hand, a revolving mandatory service may be required for a longer period of time, for example, to ensure community fire protection or to carry out infrastructure work at a local or community level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Austrian conscription referendum</span>

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A construction soldier was a non-combat role of the National People's Army, the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic, from 1964 to 1990. Bausoldaten were conscientious objectors who accepted conscription but refused armed service and instead served in unarmed construction units. Bausoldaten were the only legal form of conscientious objection in the Warsaw Pact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compulsory fire service</span> Mandatory fire department service

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Conscientious objection in the United States is based on the Military Selective Service Act, which delegates its implementation to the Selective Service System. Conscientious objection is also recognized by the Department of Defense.

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