Children all over the world from around 10 year olds to 18 are been treated as puppets. They have been taken away from their families by force, kidnapped, or even bought. Teens do not control weather they get kidnapped or put into guerrilla groups.Teens and kids are promised false dreams and hopes things that could give them a better life, there’s always a good in a bad. These teens are drugged and brainwashed into shooting, killing, hurting and much more, while they aren't them true selves.Teens can be easily convinced or manipulated, it's like the time your mom/dad told you if you put effort into raising your grades they will get you something as a reward. Many argue whether child soldiers should be seen as victims and be given amnesty or as perpetrators and should be prosecuted for their actions. I personally believe Adults should help child soldiers as they have been victims of child abuse and have went thru a lot in the time they were forced into committing crimes and threatened to be killed. …show more content…
They are fighting for their lives and hoping one day they will be able to leave behind this type of lifestyle. They have nothing left as there family has been torn from them and have been left alone with no money or food, to were their only hope is joining a state or non-state armed group to potentially have a “better” and “safer” life as children join without thinking twice about their choice and actually fighting in war does not pass their mind at the
One of the major problems in the Middle East is child related. To be specific, child soldiers. It is estimated that there are over 38,000 kids who are forced into being child soldiers (Storr). Because child soldiers can’t prevent their horrific fate, they deserve to be granted amnesty by the United Nations. One main reason why they should be given amnesty is because they are forced and drugged into becoming killers. Children at such a young age don't have the mental ability to think long term of their actions, especially when they are being forced or drugged to. Some may argue that if child criminals get punished for their actions then child soldiers should too, but that is just not the case. The difference being child criminals choose to
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
There are thousands of soldiers that are under the age of 18 around the world. Many kidnapped and are forced into war. They are forced to do brutal things like kill their friends and family. They are also brainwashed by being drugged so they can kill in the war.
Before it can be decided whether or not to forgive child soldiers, the question, “What is a child soldier?” must be asked. A child soldier, is a person under the age of 18 who is being used, and most often being forced, to fight other people. Some may ask, “How can you force a child to fight if they do not want to?” A better question to ask would be, “Who wants to?” you may think that no child would want to fight, but in their shoes it might be a different story. They have probably lost everything; their homes, food, water, and their safety, so when they see the opportunity to have these things again- they are going to take it. Which is my first reason child soldiers should be forgiven and given amnesty on certain levels. Also, after
In the world, there are about 300,000 children recruited as child soldiers (Hill 1). One-third of this number of children fight and serve for the government military or rebel groups in Africa (Hill 1). “According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, child soldiers are defined as all children engaged in hostilities under age 18. Although they are under 18, the roles of children in armed conflict are not limited because of their young age. Some children fight on the front lines of combat. Others perform manual labor, such as digging trenches, working in the kitchen, or carrying food, ammunition, or other supplies, often for long distances. Still others, primarily female children and adolescents, are reduced to sexual servants for military and rebel leaders” (Hill 1).
Child soldier is a worldwide issue, but it became most critical in the Africa. Child soldiers are any children under the age of 18 who are recruited by some rebel groups and used as fighters, cooks, messengers, human shields and suicide bombers, some of them even under the aged 10 when they are forced to serve. Physically vulnerable and easily intimidated, children typically make obedient soldiers. Most of them are abducted or recruited by force, and often compelled to follow orders under threat of death. As society breaks down during conflict, leaving children no access to school, driving them from their homes, or separating them from family members, many children feel that rebel groups become their best chance for survival. Others seek escape from poverty or join military forces to avenge family members who have been killed by the war. Sometimes they even forced to commit atrocities against their own family (britjob p 4 ). The horrible and tragic fate of many unfortunate children is set on path of war murders and suffering, more nations should help to prevent these tragedies and to help stop the suffering of these poor, unfortunate an innocent children.
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.
“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.”
There are three hundred millions of children under the age of eighteen who are used in war for the purpose of violence and target killing. Because of the kids participating in the war, they do not get to have a chance at life. Child soldiers have unique health problems. Youths and teenagers utilize their energy to destroy humanity through weapons. Although, the contribution of children may help in the war, the environment has negative effects on youth and kids. Therefore, the use of child soldiers must stop throughout the world.
Today, an estimated three hundred thousand children under age eighteen are participating in armed conflicts worldwide. Thousands more face recruitment or are members of armed forces and groups not presently at war.(McManimon) The life of a child soldier is filled with terror, violence, horrible living conditions, lack of proper sanitization and poor nutrition. Though being a soldier at first may seem like the child’s “escape” from the poverty they live in because of the promises that are made to them, most children are brought into situations that are often worse then what they were already living in. The children involved in these situations lose their basic human rights, are abused emotionally and physically, and are treated like slaves forced to do activities that even adult soldiers would never want to do. Such activities include killing their own family members, their neighbours, even having to kill their own friends. Government organizations and non-governmental organizations work hard to try and prevent the selling of children and the transportation of children into the world of being a child soldier. Governments and high power governmental groups create international laws to be implemented however there is still an on going battle to find ways to completely stop the abduction and use of child soldiers.
Child soldiers are kids who are usually under 18 that become a soldier and fight in a war, and most of the time they are forced, but sometimes this can be dangerous to and can be harmful to the child. Child soldiers are victims because they can get injured or even killed, can cause crimes, and are given drugs. Children are forced to do things because of their innocence and can be easily worked into becoming ruthless tools of war. Children are being granted amnesty for fighting as victims of war that they shouldn’t be taking part in. For many years, the debate about child soldiers has continued, but still has no definite answer.
It is inequitable that the boneheaded criminals who are taking the freedom and liberty of the innocent children to war are not getting consequences; therefore, the corrupted government have an obligation to take proper action to punish these boneheaded criminals. The removal of children soldier from their families to fight war has had major catastrophic impacts on the children such as: emotional effects, physical effects, mental conditions, destruction of families, and post-traumatic stress disorder that carries into adulthood. First, more and more children refugees are being used to fight in a war which
Source. Some of the children who are joining are being forced to join where they would be killed if they refused. They are just children and their frontal lobe has not developed yet, so they are not capable of making important
Child soldiers who’ve committed crimes should be prosecuted, no matter what the age is. Even if they’re under the age of 18 they still committed the crimes. And these children have been through a lot and being in a facility where it’s focused on making them better people would help the cause at hand. But it has been discovered that even though some of the child soldiers were kidnapped there was a substantial amount that simply volunteered to fight in their army. And for these reasons every child who was involved, voluntarily or involuntarily, should be prosecuted for every crime they have committed.
“Amnesty is as good for those who give it as for those who receive it. It has the admirable quality of bestowing mercy on both sides.” -Victor Hugo. Forgiveness is a natural part of life.