Some communications from a young man in Greece explain the blatant discrimination against men and restrictions on their career and their development. The situation is probably similar in other European countries, and we invite men in those countries to contact us and advise us about their own country.
6 December 2000
Hallo
I am a student from Greece and I want to denounce a serious discrimination against men. In Greece there is an obligatory military service lasting 18 months (21 months in the Air Force). You perform this military service when you are 18 years old but if you succeed to enter university is after it. During the military service you don’t have personal life (you sleep in the barracks). I study engineering and my career depends on technology, but after 18 months a computer program can be obsolete. In this period a woman can work, take a master and of course watch the progress of technology.
I have discussed this problem with ordinary women and they agree that this is a serious burden to a man’s career. Also there is a law which says that if a man wants to be appointed to the public sector he must be free from military obligations. A CLEAR and ENFORCED BY LAW discrimination against men. For the same reason a private company may not hire you. And think that obligatory military service supposedly protects the civilians of a country and therefore and the women of this country. But no feminist referred ever about this. Isn’t this ungratefulness?
Feminists have the same relation with women as Communists leaders with labour workers.
Yours sincerely
A young man from Greece
14 December 2000
Dear George
I am very delighted that there are people who promote men's rights and who understand me. When talking about Greece you must notice that it is the only Orthodox country in the EU. There is loose "man/woman-hood" (I don't know if you understand me, English is not my native language), family is strong and the influential Orthodoxy is connected with nationalistic ideas. To be honest, women cannot be members of the Orthodox Church. Also, there is a tradition of trespassing laws, what the law says doesn't have much importance.
For the conscripts: A conscript can become either a mere soldier (18 months) or a minor officer (22 months). A minor officer gets a salary of 135,000 drh (396 Euro) while the minimum legal salary is 180,000 drh. You can be a minor officer after you pass an optional written examination given in the first days of your military service. University graduates as well as members of the long-ruling PASOK party are preferred. (Army, like every public sector in Greece is corrupt).
A mere soldier takes a humiliating salary of 3000 drh (in a month). This is equal to 8.8 e or to 92 cigarettes. Despite this, most young men prefer to be soldiers because of the shortest period of service and because parties in the recent elections pledged to reduce the term of service for 2 months. (Nothing has been done). This reduction will not apply for the minor officers.
Conscripts regularly don't serve at barracks close to their home. They could be sent for 6 months at Northern Greece, another 6 months at the islands etc.
If you are father of 2 children you serve for 12 months, of 3 for 6 , and if you have 4 you are released from the obligation of military service. If you are a priest you are also released.
I am sure for all these because I have the law in my home. Note that Greece is the only EU country that a war is not unthinkable. Maybe you will find interesting to know that a lot of young Greek men who study or work in Europe and especially in the UK are doing it because they want to avoid military service. They lack the essential connections inside army or PASOK party which will make their military service lighter. (I don't have either). Could you recommend me Internet addresses about Men's Rights discussion groups? I would be also interested to have the internet addresses of various Men's Rights groups around Europe; I am especially interested for the German. (I know only English as a foreign language hence I can't use a search engine).
If you want I will send you more letters about military service and employment. I have also some good ideas about what the Men's Rights movement can do.
Yours sincerely
A young man from Greece
Editor's note : the salary for a soldier of "3000 drh (in a month). This is equal to 8.8 e" - this is about �6 per month in the UK.
Comment : men should challenge this in the European Court of Human Rights.