kids encyclopedia robot

Draft evasion facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Draft evasion is any attempt to escape a government-forced legal requirement to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to work with the military draft laws (formally known as conscription laws) of one's nation.

Illegal draft evasion is said to have characterized every military conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries. Such evasion is generally considered to be a criminal offense.

Images for kids

  • Crowd of women in a city square

    Anti-draft meeting held by women in New York City, 1917.

  • Important looking man drawing a capsule from a bowl

    U.S. Secretary of War drawing the first number in the U.S. World War I draft lottery, 1917.

  • Panel appearing to consist of judges and COs

    Tribunal for conscientious objectors in Britain during World War II.

  • Head shot of mistrustful-looking young black man

    Muhammad Ali refused induction in 1966.

  • New York Draft Riots - Harpers - beating

    In 1863, people rioted against the draft in New York City.

  • Masses of people on big-city street.

    Anti-conscription march in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 1917

  • Bear walking away from deep forest

    During World War II, Finnish draft evaders took refuge in the nation's forests

  • Young curly-haired male singing or speaking into microphone.

    Rock star Aviv Geffen is one of several Israeli entertainers who have encouraged draft evasion.

  • Modernistic building in the colors of the Russian flag

    Draft registration office near Moscow. In the mid-2010s, half the Russians called up were said to be evading the draft.

  • Bombed-out big city street

    Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War. By 2016, 70,000 draft evaders had fled Syria, and others remained undetected inside it.

  • Resistance to Confederate conscription

    Parody of Confederate troops forcing a pro-Union Southerner (left foreground) and other reluctant Southerners to comply with the Confederate draft, c. 1862.

  • Older man in suit hectoring a crowd

    Eugene V. Debs spoke out against the draft during World War I.

  • DraftcardRenJuan

    A Vietnam War-era draft card. Retention of the card was legally required.

  • Passionate-looking young man playing guitar

    Phil Ochs (1940–1976) was one of several countercultural figures to encourage draft evasion.

  • Five young people sitting and talking intently

    Mark Satin (left), director of the Toronto Anti-Draft Programme, counseling American draft evaders, 1967

  • Exhausted-looking older man being interviewed

    Vancouver city councillor Jim Green was one of several draft evaders who became prominent in Canada.

  • Hefty man in camouflage shirt giving a speech

    Ted Nugent, shown here addressing a Republican function in a military-style shirt, reportedly took extreme measures to avoid the draft. (Photo by Gage Skidmore.)

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Draft evasion Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.