Child Soldiers Should Be Granted Amnesty Essay

In many countries at war, countless young children are forced into becoming soldiers who commit terrible crimes that they must go through with, or their lives will be taken from them. These children are often drugged, and are acting this way to save themselves and their families, which almost every kid would want to do at all costs. They are not fully aware of the repercussions and impacts of the horrific crimes they are made to do. Although these kids perpetrated very dreadful offenses, they had no say in it, and therefore, should be granted amnesty. However, there should be some conditions, such as community service and ongoing medical treatment.

Children cannot be held accountable for their actions as they were forced into it; it was a

“It may be that the child thought it would be safer to enlist or factors such as poverty and hunger influenced their decision rather than a desire to fight. Once children are recruited into the military it is also difficult for them to leave because they become dependent on their commanders for drugs, alcohol, money and food,” (Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted, debatewise.org). Children are just concerned with their survival, and these adults are telling them a way to, so they do it. No matter what, they want to live. So they make poorly informed decisions. “More often than not children have no say in whether they enlist or not and once recruited the children become brainwashed through the use of drugs and alcohol. The drugs and alcohol make the children become more compliant enabling them to commit atrocities which they never would have before,” (Child Soldiers: Victims or Perpetrators?, childsoldiersinvisiblechildren.org). They are exposed and forced to consume alcohol and drugs; such as marijuana, crack, and gunpowder mixed with cocaine. These are obviously substances that would mess with anyone’s mind, not just children. It has an even bigger effect on minors, who’s brains aren’t fully developed. Since they were intoxicated, they should not have been able to consent, and must have been forced to fight. Given this explanation, they should be given a