Zivildienst

Zivildienst (German, translated verbatim to "Civilian Service", although "compulsory paid community service" is more contextually equivalent. However the official translation by the German government is "alternative civilian service") is the civilian branch of the national service systems in Austria and Switzerland. In Germany as well Zivildienst was the alternative service to military service until suspension of conscription in 2011. It is a means for conscripted persons who are conscientious objectors to fulfill their national service, typically in the fields of social work (e.g. hospitals, retirement homes, emergency medical services) 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.

The civilian service in Austria is provided as an alternative for conscientious objectors to the compulsory military service. It is served for nine months, three months longer than the military service. Participants can choose one of several organisations (mainly NGOs) at which to serve. Most popular choices for civilian service personnel are working for the ambulance services (usually transporting non-emergency patients to and from hospital) and nursing homes. Other options include serving at hospitals, charity organizations or in several ministries.

Until 1975, there was no alternative to the compulsory military service in Austria. In order to discourage people from substituting civilian service for military service, the Austrian People's Party introduced a committee which met with every man who wanted to do civilian service. The only accepted reason for avoiding military service was pacifism, and one had to thoroughly and rationally explain their pacifism. Immaturity or naïveté could be grounds for declining the application and potential candidates' criminal records had to be impeccable. Candidates completing the civilian service were then barred entry to the police force, as this would contradict one's claims of being a pacifist. The committee was disbanded in 1991. From 1991, civilian service personnel were prohibited from owning any weapon for 20 years after completing their service – though this ban does not extend to individuals barred from military service on medical or psychological grounds, though in the latter case, other laws may apply and a ban may be imposed.

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