Have you ever wondered what it would be like, if you were recruited into the military, with no free will? What it would be like, to grow up and become and adult right away? Well, child soldiers have to face these problems every day of their lives! So I ask you, if you were taken away from your families today, would you want the world to view you as a criminal? I am going to argue that child soldiers should be treated as victims instead of criminals. And in my paper I will give you three strong arguments to prove why.
In the article, “Witness: A Child Soldier’s Darfur Confession – ‘I shot her. She is dead.’, written by Amy Braunschweiger, American-born writer, on September 9, 2015, Amy reveals the tragic story of a Sudanese boy, by the fake
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Those seven characteristics can be referred to as The Seven Core Army Values. Some may argue that a child should be treated the same as an adult because of their severe actions in combat. According to “Child Soldiers: If not Prosecution, Then What?”, written in December 2006, ‘the landmark book, International Criminal Accountability and Children’s Rights, argues that criminal responsibility for children’s war crimes lies with the adults who enlist them…’ But it turns out, the children must follow orders from their commander, unless they want to serve punishment, or even death. The child soldiers must obey The Seven Core Army Values, because even if they do not believe in their orders from their commander, they must do what they’re told to do. The second Core Army Value, can be referred to as ‘duty’. Duty is defined as a task or action that someone is required to perform. Say your commander asks you to murder an innocent bystander on the street, you would have to fulfill this command according to The Seven Core Army Values. If you were not to take care of the assignment, it would be considered cowardice. And yet we can charge the children as criminals. Personally, I believe that the actions performed by child soldiers are really tragic. It’s disgusting that adults think it’s right to allow children as young as six years old to be let on to the war field and kill. Even though the children do
As defined by Timothy Webster, author of Babes with Arms: International Law and Child Soldiers, a child soldier is “any person under the age of eighteen who is or has been associated with any kind of regular or irregular armed group, including those who serve as porters, spies, cooks, messengers and including girls recruited for sexual purposes (Webster, 2007, pp.230). As this definition reveals, a child soldier is more than simply a child with a gun. It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 children under the age of 18, being used as soldiers in 33 conflicts currently, and this figure continues to rise (Webster, 2007, pp.227). Similarly, in 1999 it was estimated that more than 120,000 children, under the age of 18, were used as soldiers to fight ...
The first reason these kids shouldn’t be prosecuted or punished in any way is because it wasn’t their choice to be a soldier to begin with. According to Child Soldiers, Prosecution, most kids were forced to fight and had no choice of weather to enlist or not. There are about 200,000 child soldiers worldwide state's Armed and Underage, (Gettleman) and these kids are doing things their adolescent brains
Children have been used as soldiers in many events, however two that stand out are the use of child soldiers in the Sierra Leone civil war and the drug cartels in Mexico. Most people agree that forcing children to be soldiers is wrong and not humane. The people that make them soldiers transform them into belligerent beings by force. Child soldiers of drug cartels and the armies of Sierra Leone were threatened with their lives if they didn’t become soldiers. The lives of these child soldiers are lives that nobody should live. Situations in both countries are horrible because of the high number of youngsters that are forced to take part in drug use and are transformed into extremely belligerent and inhumane people; in addition they are deprived
The core values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. The Army’s definition respect is, “Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.” Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to
Shockingly, many of them have often been spotted carrying very sophisticated weapons, and many weapons that can take down planes. child soldier is detrimental to peace and to children who are the future (British Job p6). most people are wondering why children are used as soldiers. the most basic reason is children are more obedient than adults, they can almost carry out every order from their commander.... ...
Throughout the world children younger than 18 are being enlisted into the armed forces to fight while suffering through multiple abuses from their commanders. Children living in areas and countries that are at war are seemingly always the ones being recruited into the armed forces. These children are said to be fighting in about 75 percent of the world’s conflicts with most being 14 years or younger (Singer 2). In 30 countries around the world, the number of boys and girls under the age of 18 fighting as soldiers in government and opposition armed forces is said to be around 300,000 (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). These statistics are clearly devastating and can be difficult to comprehend, since the number of child soldiers around the world should be zero. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands adolescent children are being or have been recruited into paramilitaries, militias and non-state groups in more than 85 countries (“Child Soldiers: An Overview” 1). This information is also quite overwhelming. Child soldiers are used around the world, but in some areas, the numbers are more concentrated.
For decades, there has been constant conflict on whether or not children should be used in war or battle. Millions of children have been forced into fighting for militaries. The question is, should child soldiers be given amnesty? “Children are forced by commanders through false promises, drugs and things which you can’t even imagine, to kill innocent civilians, other children, and even their own families.” This quote from Child Soldiers helps give a good idea of what these children are being put through and what they are being forced to achieve.
“I would like to give you a message, please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the children. So that other children do not have to pass through this violence.”
As an example, in the article Child Soldiers it states “ More often than not, children have no say in whether they enlist or not and once recruited the children have become brainwashed through the use of drugs and alcohol” (Child Soldiers) As you can see, this shows how children have no control if they kill or not from either being threatened with death or being drugged. In addition, in the article The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo it talks about how a child soldier got interrogated by guards where they told him he would be gang-raped and murdered if he didn’t obey (Prasow). This is another example of how these kids have to choose between life and death at such a young age. This is just one main reason why these kids deserve
Everyday hundreds and thousands of people are dying and getting harmed in one way or another. What people don’t know is that these acts are coming from a minor, not even an adult. Becoming a child soldier is very risky and will change a life forever. Child soldiers are children that are illegally in war, yet doing vicious acts of crime. There has been a major debate going on for quite some time between those who think child soldiers should or should not get amnesty.
In the article titled, “Think Again: Child Soldiers” Scott Gates and Simon Reach, they state that “Child soldiers are usually depicted as victims. That’s accurate: Exploited, torn from their families, deprived of education, and forced into battle…” (2009) This quote shows that kids are used to the extent and are being abused to act in a way they are not supposed to or used to, without anyway to fight back. If the children attempt to fight back, they will be severely punished.
Child soldiers aren’t morally responsible for their actions because of their age and how easily manipulated children can be and a young age. In the article, Child Soldiers: Victims or Perpetrators?, it says, “Children are forced by commanders through false promises, drugs and things which you can’t even imagine, to kill innocent civilians, other children and even their own families.” (invisiblechildren). Through the use of drugs and unimaginable acts these kids are brainwashed into following orders of their commanders who order them to kill. Some commanders will go as far as having children kill their own families and other civilians.
The debate of whether or not child soldiers should be given
says www.child-soldiers.org and also say, Such traumatic events can disrupt children’s development, staying with them for the rest of their lives.” Adult soldiers after the war can suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and so can the former child soldier which will make the rest of their life hard. Not only have the kids been taught and forced to kill but were under the influence of drugs making them wanting to kill. Commanders gave them drugs so kids could be
Child Soldiers: The use of children in the military. Child Soldiers have three different roles in armed conflict. They can take a direct part in hostilities, or they can be used for support, such as sexual slaves, lookouts, messengers, and spies. Also, they can be used in the political aspect of war. Because many children have been physically or mentally damaged by their participation in armed conflict, children should not have any involvement in any armed conflict and should be removed indefinitely from warfare. Every child has the right to go to school, free from violence. Children have been used in the military for hundreds of years.