Argumentative Essay On Child Soldiers

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Child soldiers are a heart-wrenching reality in many parts of the world, with innocent children as young as eight being forced to partake in armed conflict, denying their right to have a normal childhood. Being a child soldier can have a severe and long-lasting impact on their mental well-being, and often they don’t get a choice whether they want to take part in armed conflict. The complex issue of prosecution and punishment for child soldiers is a sensitive topic, and while it may be quite controversial, it is worth delving into.
Child soldiers often suffer from psychological issues such as permanent mental scars, nightmares, PTSD, and depression due to being forced to see or take part in acts of violence and undergoing psychological manipulation. It is important to recognize that child soldiers are victims and provide them with the necessary rehabilitation and support to help them heal and reintegrate into society. The use of child soldiers is a serious violation of human rights and has a devastating impact on the physical and mental well-being of these children. …show more content…

They may be victimized through false promises or abduction, and then forced to commit acts of violence such as murder or to fight under the influence of drugs and alcohol. These children are not willing participants in these activities, but rather are coerced or manipulated into them by armed groups or other parties. Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war, supplies an example of this in his memoir "A Long Way Gone" which raises awareness about the issue of child soldiers and their impact. Beah describes how he and other child soldiers were given drugs to make them more willing to fight and kill, and how the trauma of the war and the acts he was forced to commit affected him long after the conflict ended.

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