The Handbook presents international legal instruments and norms for ensuring the protection and enforcement of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of conscripts. While the Handbook is aimed at all individuals who play a role in promoting, protecting and enforcing the human rights of conscripts, the inclusion of relevant case law from countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia (EESCCA) makes it particularly relevant to this region.

The case law demonstrates that national legal frameworks in EESCCA differ considerably regarding the protection and enforcement of the rights of conscripts, and that further efforts are needed to align national jurisprudence with international human rights law. This is particularly the case as regard the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights, to which many states within EESCCA are signatories.