A/HRC/26/45 become one of the main drivers spurring thousands of Eritreans to flee the country, despite the perils encountered on escape routes and a future fraught with uncertainty in foreign lands. 29. Article 5 of the Proclamation outlines the objectives of the national service, including: the establishment of a strong defence force; preserving the culture of heroism shown by the people during the armed struggle; creating hard working generations to participate in the reconstruction of the nation; enhancing the country’s economic development by making use of its human resources; and promoting unity and nationalism. 30. The Proclamation stipulates that all Eritreans between the ages of 18 and 40 have the “compulsory duty to perform active national service”, consisting of six months of military training and 12 months of active military service and development tasks in military forces for a total of 18 months (art. 8); reserve duties are foreseen until the age of 50. However, conscription for an indefinite period was institutionalized in 2002 with the introduction of the Warsai Yikaalo Development Campaign (WYDC). 31. The Proclamation specifies who may be exempted from national service: persons with disabilities (art. 15); nationals who fulfilled their national service obligation prior to the promulgation of the Proclamation; fighters and armed peasants who were actively involved in the liberation struggle (art. 12). It states that those declared unfit for military training shall perform 18 months of national service in an office setting and may be recalled to serve according to their capacity under mobilization or emergency situation directives (art. 13). Several categories may be eligible for temporary exemption or deferral of national service, including regular students enrolled in one of Eritrea’s institutions of higher education (art. 14). There are additional policy exemptions, including for pregnant women and nursing mothers. 32. The clergy of all registered religions, namely, Catholic, Eritrean Orthodox, Lutheran and Islam, were originally exempted from national service, and in 1999, all clergy were issued with appropriate identification documents. However, a circular issued on 4 July 2005 by the Religious Affairs Department of the Ministry of Local Government officially revoked the exemption and ordered all clergy to report for military service. The Government also issued a number of new identification documents; those who did not receive one, either had to report for duty or flee the country. The conscription of the clergy continues to date. 33. Although some conscripts have purely military roles in the army, they also perform other duties, such as manual labour on agricultural farms or construction sites. The Eritrean authorities use military conscripts for manual labour as part of their “development programmes”. 34. A large number of draftees under the authority of the Ministry of Defence are assigned to other ministries, and work in civilian administration, infrastructure projects, education, construction, and perform other duties; however, they do not choose their assignments or postings. In that sense, the Eritrean national service is much broader than military service, as it encompasses all areas of civilian life. Consequently, in the present report, the Special Rapporteur uses the terms “national service”, “military service” and “conscription” interchangeably. 7