What does 'defending the country' mean?
A country is the land, the people and the laws we share. To defend it means to keep it safe from harm. Harm can be an attack from outside. It can also be a flood, a fire, a disease or a crime.
Every country makes a plan for this. It keeps a trained armed force (army, navy, air force). It also trains rescuers and builds hospitals and shelters.
Who defends the country?
- Armed forces guard the borders and the people. They obey the law and the elected government.
- Civil defence and rescue teams help in floods, earthquakes and fires.
- Doctors, engineers, teachers keep people healthy, housed and educated. A learned country is hard to harm.
- Volunteers give time to help, for example a blood donation camp.
Rights and duties of a citizen
A right is something the country gives you, like the right to school or to be safe. A duty is something you owe in return.
Duties: obey the law, pay tax when you earn, study, keep public things clean, vote when you are old enough, and help when others are in danger.
Service by law and by choice
In some countries, young adults must serve for some months or years. This is called conscription. In many countries, joining the armed forces is a free choice and people are paid as a job.
Where service is a duty, people can often choose civil service instead. The rule differs from country to country; check your own law.
Try it at home
Make a list of five ways your family helps your neighbourhood. Next to each, write whether it is a right or a duty.
Key formulas and definitions
- Strong country = armed forces + doctors + engineers + teachers + volunteers
- Right = what the country gives; Duty = what we give back
- Conscription = service required by law; Volunteer service = joined by choice
- Defence = keeping people, land and laws safe from harm
Worked examples
1. A river floods a town. Name three groups who help and what each does.
Rescue teams or soldiers save people by boat. Doctors treat the sick in a camp. Engineers repair roads and bridges. Volunteers bring food and blankets.
2. A student cleans a park and helps younger children study. Is this defending the country?
Yes, in a small way. It is a duty of a citizen. A clean place and educated people make the country stronger and safer.
3. Country A calls young people for one year. Country B only hires volunteers. What are these systems called?
Country A uses conscription. Country B has a volunteer (professional) force.
Common mistakes
- Thinking only soldiers defend the country. Doctors, teachers, rescuers and volunteers do too.
- Thinking rights come with no duties. Both go together.
- Thinking defence means starting fights. Defence means protecting; the aim is peace.
- Thinking all countries have the same service rule. Some use conscription and some do not.