Who Is A Kid Again?

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.

The children in the war were in a kill or be killed situation. The children didn’t have a choice except to follow orders from their commanders or they would get killed. They had to fight and kill others to stay alive. A quote from the article “Child Soldiers” (To what extent should child soldiers be held accountable for their crimes?) states, “Furthermore, many children join without carefully thinking through their decision. At the time they might believe that recruiting would lead to a safer life as necessities such as food, water and shelter would be available; actually fighting in war would not cross their mind.” This quote proves that child soldiers are victims because the only reason that some joined was because they had to or else they would die. Also because when they joined they didn’t really know what was going to happen and they didn’t know about the all of the mass killings that would occur. They were just focused on staying alive and getting the basic necessities that they needed like food, water, and shelter. If they wouldn’t have joined then they could have died from hunger or the harsh weather. They chose to defend themselves by joining the

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

Visualize men with guns breaking down your door and pointing them at your family. Now imagine these men taking your children, forcing them to serve in their military force. In only an instant, your children are gone and you are left with no knowledge of the fate of your kids. As terrifying and seemingly impossible as this imagined scenario may be, it is a stark reality for many families in third world countries. Where families fear not if their children will be taken but when those doors will be broken down, and their screaming children will be dragged out through the front door. The parents know that they cannot not stop these men even if they attempt to. Yet, in an unreasonable twist becoming a child soldier is not only a gamble with the reaper, but it is also a chance to survive. Enough food to survive is more or less guaranteed, while back at home the odds of surviving are insurmountably against them. Becoming a child soldier is a double edged sword that is neither ally nor enemy to the children. These children are abused and coerced into staying with the men who ripped them from their families. Those that attempt to escape or resist are torn down brutally in order to be rebuilt, while those that embrace it sacrifice their humanity and risk the onset of psychologically damaging PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Militias and rebel forces, strained on man power, turn to child soldiers as a cheap and readily available replacement source. Trained to become war hardened

First off, child soldiers are held against their will to do dangerous tasks that they have no say in. In an article interviewing Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, he states, "Somebody being shot in front of you, or you yourself shooting somebody became just like drinking a glass of water. Children who refused to fight, kill or showed any weakness were ruthlessly dealt with.”

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.

As I said in the first sentence, they are victims of the war they are fighting. The government that is prosecuting the children should be prosecuting the commanders. They using the children as soldiers and fall guys ( the people pay for the crime to other people made them

Imagine looking around you and seeing children your age and younger falling to their knees in pain, imagine hearing guns and screams all around you, now just imagine you are one of those children falling to their knees in pain and you had no choice to join into this gruesome reality that children 5-15 and older have to participate in without a choice. This is just an example of what most children have to go through for weeks or maybe months at a time. This is exactly why I'm against the prosecution of child soldiers. The deeds that they perform are because they have either been manipulated, have no choice, or they just don't know right from wrong. Prosecuting a child soldier is probably the worst decision ever and here is why.

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

However, how does prosecuting children for their own safety make any kind of sense? Scott Gates and Simon Reich, in “Think Again: Child Soldiers” (2009) show how children are already, “...relied on children for their suicide bombing missions during their decades-long campaign.” So it doesn’t really matter if people think they’re protecting these child soldiers by prosecuting them. The truth is, they aren’t, because even now, when prosecuting child soldiers is on the fence, warlords and cruel leaders are using children to commit suicide bombings and other crimes. The answer lies not in whatever kind of psychology people are relying on if they prosecute child soldiers.

For instance, people may say they should be prosecuted for their crimes. The article, “Should child soldiers be prosecuted for their crimes?” demonstrates how these crimes can be developed to becoming a habit to the child soldiers. It says “‘If minor children who have committed serious war crimes are not prosecuted, this could be an incentive for their commanders to delegate to them the dirtiest orders, aiming at impunity.’” (JOHANNESBURG, 2011). Even if they’re committing a crime, what do you expect from children that have been torn away from their families and have nowhere else to go? These child soldiers don’t know any better. Something you should consider thinking about is how they feel about all this and having their childhood taken away from them just to survive. Like any other children, child soldiers just want to have a family and have a shelter. Moreover, others may argue saying allowing child soldiers immunity from prosecution denies victims justice. In the debate “ Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted”, many people argue whether child soldiers should be prosecuted. It says “ It is unfair to victims that will have to live side-by-side with their attacker and see them walk free without any punishment.”. It may seem wrong to let a child go for committing a crime just because they're a child, however child soldiers are ordered to

Human-rights experts estimate around 200,000 children are still being used as child soldiers. Child soldiers should not be prosecuted, it’s just not right. Child soldiers are forced to kill, sometimes at war, and sometimes as terrorists. Child soldiers are usually drawn because they are provided safety and basic needs. They are not at fault, they should be given rehabilitation, and they are very unlike child criminals.

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

Many children who have witnessed or were child soldiers are in trauma. 10 million kids are in trauma as of the early 2000’s. Child soldiers face live in horrifying conditions, and they are deprived of food. When these young kids are abused, they remember what has happened to them, and those memories stay with them and haunt them for the rest of their lives. When they get targeted and apprehended, they also get beaten up it they try to escape. The boys are threatened and intimidated. If they somehow possibly escape, the rest of their lives are slow and they are scared and traumatized. They are also drugged so they feel more confident in war. This certainly affects their health and their development. They would have to go to a special school a counselor and this