There are thousands of child soldiers in the world today. These children are stripped from their homes and sent to fight with people twice their age. Many haven’t even had their 11th birthday yet. Although some people say that child soldiers should not be granted amnesty, evidence shows that these children do deserve amnesty, except in cases when the former soldiers show violent behavior after war because children are forced to commit acts of violence and are force addicted to illegal substances so they won’t want to leave.
Small hands, belonging to children, wrapped around a gun, fingers on the trigger. These guns aren't toys being carelessly held while playing a game, these guns are loaded with deadly bullets held steady by a child soldier. Their eyes filled with fear, looking for a target so they don't become one. Their minds aren't thinking straight, the line between right and wrong is disappearing due to the drugs, alcohol and, lies flooding their brains and flowing throughout their small, growing bodies. They are unaware of their actions, they were manipulated by rebel groups to kill. The child soldiers deserve amnesty, rehabilitation, not to be locked away. Being incarcerated could cause them to become even more dangerous than they already are. Child soldiers need help and attention instead of being forced behind bars and forgotten.
Assignment page Video Where many children all over the world merrily and freely live under the protection of the law, for others, this is a distant reality, they live in a world where they’re battling poverty, stripped of their childhood and basic human rights are expunged, they’re the innocent victims of conflict, and war is made to seem their one and only duty, not to mention that these are children no more than 10 years of age. They are put into a situation where it’s to kill or be killed. The United Nations defines a child soldier as, “Any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.” Since the past 15 years, child soldiers are being used in almost every region of the world. Unlike most children, who go to school, they’re abducted from their families and forced into becoming a child soldier, where living conditions are beyond imaginable.
As long as former child soldiers show that they will not recommit their acts of violence, they should be granted amnesty. Child soldiers are often forced into being violent. They shouldn’t be held responsible for things that they were essentially forced to do. Although there is plenty of evidence showing that child soldiers should be given amnesty, some may argue the opposite. People may say that they could sacrifice their own lives instead of killing others, but that is too much to expect of kids. These child soldiers are also usually brainwashed and forced to take drugs before committing violence. If child soldiers are “fixed,” they shouldn’t be punished or judged because of their acts as a child soldier.
An unhealthy obsession with guns, being drugged to make killings seem normal, and being undoubtedly loyal to commanders is only part of what a child soldier is. Child soldiers can be dangerous and make up many armies in war-torn countries. In much of the world, usually in unstable countries, when conflict breaks out, children can quickly be swept up and put on the front lines to fight. Children may carry ten-pound guns and use bullets twice the size of their fingers. Some children are old enough to understand what they are doing, and others have no idea. When these children use their weapons, others are killed, and these children can get prosecuted. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because they are not fully responsible for their actions, they join without fully knowing what they are doing and for reasons other than wanting to fight, and they should be rehabilitated instead of being prosecuted.
Many young children under aged have been taken in by the government. They are being held captive tell they are drugged enough and brainwashed to go out and kill or to be killed. They are forced to train to kill under the influence of drugs and they are hardly aware of what they or doing. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because of the absents of their minds and them not being able to process what they are doing. These children are often seen as targets because they are under aged and not able to take responsibility for their actions so they are targeted to be able to kill without punishment. Although many have confessed to these crimes and have been given amnesty even though they knew they were doing the crimes, but they were let off the hook due to drugs. With these drugs many are not aware of what they do and they weren't in the state of mind to make such decisions like not killing others.
What do thousands of kids do when they are scared that they will be charged with war crimes if they escape from there battle? That is what child soldiers across the world, ask themselves every day. Because they do not know if they should risk their lives to get amnesty that is promised to them, just to be thrown in jail. Because there are rules that the child soldiers don't even know, so it is a gamble they have to bid their lives on.. Child soldiers deserve amnesty because they are drugged and brainwashed, they are kidnaped or forced to join, also they are killed and abused for little to no reason.
Many child soldiers had gone through traumatizing events, but should be given amnesty. Child Soldiers have been the cause of the death of innocent people. They were put up to do that job and went through with it without question. Many people believe that child soldiers should not be given amnesty, but others think they should be forgiven. They did not choose to kill people, most were forced, drugged, and tortured into doing it. Even though there are people that believe child soldiers should be forgiven, others think different. These child soldiers had knew exactly what they were doing, but not even question the idea. There are many child soldiers that have gone through horrible things, but should not be forgiven.
Growing up in America we live a pretty normal life. We are taught the differences between what is right in society, and what is wrong. Children who live where war rages on, are not taught that. And recruiters do not care about what kids are taught. Only that they know who are the enemy, and how to kill. The child soldiers should be given amnesty as they don’t know what they are doing is wrong, that they are being manipulated into doing things, only that they are threatened if they don’t do as they are told.
Not only have these child soldiers have been through harsh conditions of training and taken away, but child soldiers should be given amnesty because they were easy to be manipulated or forced to do such crimes. The strategy that these training camps do to manipulate these child soldiers is placing drugs to their systems, to which can cause many to be confused or to not think rationally for what actions they take upon. The article, “A Former Child Soldier Shares His Story In New Graphic Novel,” Chikwanine shares his story of when he was a young child to where they have forced him from drugs to do a crime upon his friends. The text states, “There, a fighter drugged him with a mix of cocaine and gunpowder. Chikwanine was blindfolded and made to hold a gun, then told
Have you ever imagined growing up on a life of drugs, war, crime, and seeing things that many adults won’t dare to ever see? In many countries around the world, this is what many children have to deal with. There is an occurring issue of people across Africa and parts of Asia using children as soldiers in war. They act and take upon the roles of real combatants, causing the people of the public to act in different ways. It’s been well documented that these children have used guns and war tactics, and committed various illegal and illicit acts of violence. However, what they’ve done doesn 't come with the fact that child soldiers live with rugged conditions, drugs, the influence of others. Even though some people believe that child soldier’s shouldn’t be given amnesty, overall, it becomes clear that these children should be given amnesty because many adults influence their actions, they live in inferior conditions, and children who enlist as child soldiers enlist for multiple reasons other than violence.
When you picture war, what do you see? Is it people with tanks and Ak-47s fighting each other? Maybe adults in camo fighting in the desert? Or perhaps even an image from your Call of Duty video game pops into your head. But what most people don’t imagine is children, ages 9-15, fighting each other and dying at the hands of guns and other weapons. Although this might seem unrealistic, it is a reality for thousands of pre-adolescents around the world. Many places such as Sierra Leone have recruited hundreds of children to fight in wars. Some families die due to the violence, while other children are taken or come willingly and are brainwashed and drugged into thinking that what they are doing is normal. They refer to their commanders as father
Thousands and thousands, of children in the Middle East and Africa, are being used as soldiers where it is needed. These children kill others and do things that no other child should have to do. People wonder if child soldiers should be given amnesty or not. The issue of child soldiers came to worldwide attention when Ishmael Beah published his book A Long Way Gone, which was based on what happened while he was a child soldier. A child soldier is someone under the age of eighteen and who is used in wars.
In an excerpt form an article by Michael Karwowski he explains the severe tolls of being a child soldier. “Too often, a [circumstance] of [betrayal] in their brutal new environment is that child soldiers exhibit a willingness to turn against their own community in a way that ensures their summary execution or lengthy imprisonment for war crimes if they then attempt to return. As a result, most child soldiers are like
Child Soldiers An organization that addresses the issue of child soldiers is named “War Child”. Based in the United Kingdom, War Child provides life-changing support to the most vulnerable children whose families, communities and schools have been torn apart by war. This includes child soldiers, in addition to other children whose lives have been forever changed by war. A general overview of War Child’s organization highlights key endeavors such as protecting, educating and advocating for those children. War Child provides quite a few services to address the issue of child soldiers.