Is A Child Soldier?

Children aren’t mature enough to make life or death decisions. All child soldiers should have a chance to be forgiven. “Others enlist ‘voluntarily’, usually because they see few alternatives.” ("From Cradle to War." Amnesty International. Amnesty International USA, Web. 3 May 2016.) Children aren’t wise enough to make the decision, and deserve a chance to be forgiven, just like an immigrant has a chance to become a citizen. And even though once someone is killed, they are permanently dead, the children who kill don’t really know what they’re

Are you aware that right now, at this very moment, there is a group of young boys ages 8-13 who are clenching a gun being ordered to kill against their will? It’s understood that others opinions about the dangers of child soldiers being free are only because they don’t want to risk anything but, isn’t life all about taking risks? You risk your life leaving the house, and breathing. Also, countries should not prosecute child soldiers for the crimes they committed during wartime. There also should not be an international minimum age of criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Here are three reasons why they should not be prosecuted or held responsible. Also that there should not be an age limit. One. Children are afraid, young, and clueless. Two. Children are 99.99% of the time drugged, forced, and brainwashed. “Children are often brainwashed and drugged before they are forced to fight. Their vulnerability can allow warlords to make them into cold-blooded killers” (O'Neill 1 ). Three. Children are independent, lonesome, and they want/need a family. One that gives them love.

A lot of the children interviewed within the first chapter of Peter W. Singer’s book Children at War are under the age of 12. They speak of torturing people in the most horrific of ways. Such as when joining the paramilitaries, A., age twelve, states that the first thing they make you do is kill someone. A random person is picked for the recruits to chop off his hands and arms. It is important to realize however, that not all of these child soldiers are as young as 7. Singer explains that a “A ‘child soldier’ is generally defined (under both international law and common practice) as any person under eighteen years of age who is engaged in deadly combat or combat support as part of an armed force or group.” What is most horrendous is

Child soldiers have killed too many people to just let them go in the open world, whether it is America, London, etc. Child soldiers are no different from child and even adult criminals. According to Child Soldiers, Prosecution, child soldiers are responsible for acts of rape, mutilation and mass killings of civilians. Some people never fully heal from traumatic experiences like mass killings and just individual child soldiers killing dozens of people during war. Therefor, even child soldiers can and should be responsible for the worst of crimes.

All around the world more than 10 million children under the age of 18 are fighting in a war. More than half voluntarily, and the other fourth forced. These children are drugged, and taught that it is good to be a slaughterer, a murderer. Yes, some don’t have a choice. But to think of all the things they were mindlessly taught. Do you really think they can change, just like that? Child soldiers have been responsible for some of the most brutal and violent acts in wartime, and many who are released into the real world, end up going back into their old ways. Not prosecuting child soldiers may encourage commanders to use more child soldiers to commit war crimes that would otherwise be punished if an adult did them. Do we really want a bunch of

The government doesn't need to prosecute child soldiers; the children had no choice. Child soldiers don't deserve to be prosecuted, when you prosecute one child soldier you have to prosecute them all no matter the deed. Ruining one child's life just so another child doesn't have to do worst deeds is incomprehensible, children don't need to be prosecuted for something that wasn't their fault. If a parent grabbed a child's arm and forced them to shoot a gun and kill a man, would you prosecute the child that didn't even understand what he was doing or why his parent was making him do it, or the parent that didn't want to get their hands dirty.

The Geneva Convention does not stipulate the age of criminal responsibility. “The godfather of all human right laws, The Geneva Convention, obliges all states to act on grave breaches of human rights, but does not stipulate the age of criminal responsibility.” If the Geneva Convention does not state the age of criminal responsibility we ourselves have to set the age for it so this means that we shouldn’t place it too young because of child soldiers needing amnesty not incarceration. Child soldiers in some countries are drugged so they are needing their commanders for something else than food, a home, and money, and by getting the child soldiers addicted to drugs like cocaine makes them even more dependent on their commanders. But since The Geneva Convention doesn’t state age for criminal responsibility than it is the country’s responsibility to have a certain age limit for criminal responsibility.

On the website “debatewise.org” it states that “It is unlikely that prosecutions after the fact would have this effect. Prosecutions only happen after the war has ended so those who recruit child soldiers will not take this into consideration. Moreover, they are already breaking the law by using child soldiers so they are unlikely to stop using child soldiers just because the child faces a risk of prosecution.” this was a large point that caught my attention because it is not very likely that the plans t abush these cities and towns were wholly the child's idea. This comes down to us punishing the children for being brainwashed and drugged wich they have no control over this happening, then they would go out and kill dozens of people without being aware and mindful of their actions. The commanders didn't really care about the children they used mechanisms much as destroying in all they cared about then replacing their relationships with one's him/her. To these kids there commanders are the only people they have to look up to. They make bonds with other children that they go through training with and fight with. The commanders know that

Child soldiers were kids that were forced to kill americans. They shouldn’t be send to jail. Why? Because what they did they had no other option , they’re too young many soldiers were scarf for life & they have a life ahead of them.

Everyone has a different opinion and they are entitled to their opinions. Do you believe child soldiers should be prosecuted for the crimes they commit? In my opinion I believe child soldiers should not be prosecuted for many reasons. One is that they are forced to fight and to commit the crimes. Another is their mental state is altered with thoughts of what is wrong and what is right. Also the fact that the children are drugged alters their mental state and fogs up their train of thought. Yes some may say that children should know what is right and what is wrong well that is not always true.

These kids are truly in danger and need to be given amnesty. It says in the article Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted for Their War Crimes?, that “Child soldiers are not morally responsible for their actions, children are often forced into fighting and have little choice over whether or not they enlist. After that, they are following orders of adults rather than acting of their own free will. The recruiters of child soldiers also use drugs and alcohol to make children more compliant and to enable them to commit acts they would not ordinarily commit. Child soldiers should therefore not be held responsible for actions they were forced to commit and had little understanding of.”.

The thought of a child behind bars for war crimes is atrocious. People may see it as justified though. Those people see it as fair to have a child that was manipulated and drugged into fighting be faced with the crimes they had contributed to. On one side of the argument, child soldiers should not be granted amnesty because most are fully aware of what their doing when enlisting. On the other side, child soldiers should be granted amnesty. More often than not children have no say in whether they enlist or not and once recruited the children become brainwashed from the usage of drugs and alcohol. Systematic drug taking is especially reported among West African-based militia movements. In fact, some authors consider hallucinatory drug intake

All around the world there are nearly 300,000 child soldiers. Should they all be prosecuted as criminals, or given the chance to change in rehab facilities? This is a very touchy topic for many people, as they may have been personally affected by child soldiers involved in violent conflicts all over the world. There are many ways the children could get into these awful wars. They could be forced into it via poverty, loss of parents, loss of home, or they join the army on their own accord, believing that they are helping the rebel cause. Child soldiers are becoming more and more common in poverty or war stricken countries. Should these children be prosecuted for doing things they have no interest in doing or be treated as victims and be allowed

Should Child Soldiers be Charged For War Crimes? Over two million child soldiers have been killed in the last ten years. The main culprit to this complication is Africa, and specifically Uganda. Child soldiers are soldiers who are under the age of 18.

In the world there are many issues poverty, war ,hunger but there's one issue that seems to keep coming back and that is child soldiers they are either kidnapped and brainwashed or there fighting for their lives high on cocaine. They don't get a choice it's life or death but the issue right now is should they be given amnesty for their crimes or prosecuted. In my opinion i feel they should be given amesty in the article armed and uderaged it says many off the child soldiers were exposed to sexual abuse including rape. They are also given cocaine, marijuana and sometimes they mix cocaine and gunpowder for them to ingest.