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A Long Way Gone Essay

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An estimated 300,000 children are forced to become soldiers every day all around the world and will be forced to grow up in a war environment. Many teens in African countries have been fighting in the war since the 90s. These children were forced to fight in the war to survive not being killed by a higher power. An estimated 40% of child soldiers are active in Africa. There is a big risk involved with a post-conflict society. Many children live in an environment that is constantly under threat of conflict. Child soldiers are an ongoing problem because children should not be forced to kill and have their innocence stripped from them. This issue requires citizens to take action because children should not be forced to fight in a war that they did not …show more content…

If they refused to join the boys would have been shot because they would have been seen as fighting against the rebels. Subsequently, at this point the issue is that these children are being stripped of their innocence as they are forced to kill.In the book A long Way Gone, Memoirs of a boy soldier, by Ishmael Beah has a very violent mindset. “We had been fighting for over two years, and killing had become a daily activity, I felt no pity for anyone.”It is important to show that over two years of fighting in the war Ishmael did not feel bad and would kill anyone he had to to survive,

Additionally, there are some child soldiers who joined the war voluntarily. Many children join to have an identity or feel apart of something.in the article Understanding the Recruitment of Child Soldiers in Africa by Anne-Lynn Dudenhoefer, it states “Pull factors include – paradoxically – seeking security in fighting forces, provision of food, a sense of belonging and ideology or group identity,” this shows that some children join the war to feel as if they are apart of a community fighting for a common cause

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Also, according to the Invisible Children Association, “...child soldiers are often forced into fighting through false promises. They are also forced into fighting through drugs and alcohol.” This shows how they are forced and they think what they are doing is okay because they are brainwashed. These children are being misled and sometimes threatened to commit horrible acts, that they wouldn’t do if they knew what was happening. But these children were never taught what is right and wrong.

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There is a problem in the world and something needs to be done of it. There are children, primarily in Africa, that are forced to massacre innocent men and women. These kids are called child soldiers. Child soldiers are kids who are associated in war. A popular book about child soldier is an autobiography by Ishmael Beah called A Long Way Gone.

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How would you feel if you were recruited as a soldier during war? Since 2001, the participation of child soldiers has been reported in 21 on-going or recent armed conflicts in almost every region of the world. The importance of this is portrayed in Ishmael Beah’s memoir A Long Way Gone. The author believes that innocent kids should not be selected to fight as soldiers, lose their innocence killing people, witnessing violent scenes and suffer because of war.

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More and more of these are armed conflicts, you would think that this would be a reason to have only experienced shooters in these conflicts. Nothing is less true, every day children are used to fight for either the government or the armed forces which are fighting the government. But what actually does make a child a child soldier? , UNICEF defines a child soldier as “any child- boy or girl under the age of 18 which is part of an armed force.”

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The most important reason why child soldiers should be granted amnesty is because it is not their will to commit these crimes, it is simply being forced into act they would never commit unless their life was on the line. Emma Gordon, writer on E-international Relations Students says, “Children are often abducted at a young age, brutally initiated and forced to commit heinous atrocities, they are undoubtedly victims of these conflicts” (2011). Gordon uses the word “abducted” which shows that most if not all of child soldiers don’t chose to live that way. Additionally, the bulletin health

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“Most of the kids are forced into fighting”. This tell me that there were actually kids that were forced to join so they can fight. “ Their choices are minimum they are just following orders,rather than making their own choices.” This tells me that they might be afraid to make their own choices that’s why they do what they are asked to because if they don’t do what they are asked to they might get killed. “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.”

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Most are younger than fifteen and do not know what they are getting themselves into. In the article, “Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted for Their Crimes?” by Johannesburg, it states “Children are often desired as recruits because they can be easily intimidated and indoctrinated. They lack the mental maturity and judgment to express consent or to fully understand the implications of their actions… and are pushed by their adult commanders into perpetrating atrocities,” the report said. This quote shows us why so many armies are recruiting children to fight.

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Child Soldiers An organization that addresses the issue of child soldiers is named “War Child”. Based in the United Kingdom, War Child provides life-changing support to the most vulnerable children whose families, communities and schools have been torn apart by war. This includes child soldiers, in addition to other children whose lives have been forever changed by war. A general overview of War Child’s organization highlights key endeavors such as protecting, educating and advocating for those children. War Child provides quite a few services to address the issue of child soldiers.

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In the article Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted For Their Crimes it says,“if a child is under the age of 15 is considered too young to fight then he or she must be considered too young to be held criminally responsible for serious violations.” This explains how that they are easily manipulated and targeted because they aren't legally responsible to take responsibility for their actions. Each child were held in hostilities and couldn't have to opportunity to not fight. Also in Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted For Their Crimes a report within the article it says, “ The report says child soldiers should not be prosecuted simply for the association with an armed group of having participation in hostilities.” Children are targeted to be recruited to war because nobody can take responsibility for the

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These children are under a lot of pressure into fighting in the war and have no idea what to do. Even if they tried to escape, they would have neither food nor families to protect them or give

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The Time article states, “...so many of the Ugandan children abducted near their homes and schools...” (Laura Blue and Jonathan Woodward).This is important because this shows that children are being taken by other soldiers who want to manipulate the children for their military purposes. Also, children who have been apprehended at their schools are being taken without the parents knowledge. Once again, a summative article stated , “After being caught in the center of a vicious civil war in Sierra Leone, Ishmael was forced to become a child soldier” (Invisible Children).This proves that there may be people part of government and military groups who will pick up children wherever they notice them and make them become a child soldier. Therefore, child soldiers should be given amnesty because children have been forced into joining the

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An unhealthy obsession with guns, being drugged to make killings seem normal, and being undoubtedly loyal to commanders is only part of what a child soldier is. Child soldiers can be dangerous and make up many armies in war-torn countries. In much of the world, usually in unstable countries, when conflict breaks out, children can quickly be swept up and put on the front lines to fight. Children may carry ten-pound guns and use bullets twice the size of their fingers. Some children are old enough to understand what they are doing, and others have no idea.

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As these children have little access to education, they often think that this is an easy way out for them. Their parents either sell them to the recruiters for money as they are desperate to help the others in the families or the children think that by joining these armies,

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Assignment page Video Where many children all over the world merrily and freely live under the protection of the law, for others, this is a distant reality, they live in a world where they’re battling poverty, stripped of their childhood and basic human rights are expunged, they’re the innocent victims of conflict, and war is made to seem their one and only duty, not to mention that these are children no more than 10 years of age. They are put into a situation where it’s to kill or be killed. The United Nations defines a child soldier as, “Any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.” Since the past 15 years, child soldiers are being used in almost every region of the world. Unlike most children, who go to school, they’re abducted from their families and forced into becoming a child soldier, where living conditions are beyond imaginable.

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They are taken from their villages and communities unexpectedly. The “rebels” make them watch while they murder their families and friends and rape women and girls. It has been estimated that around 80% of rebel groups are children. From the article Child Soldiers, it mentions that children have been performing in wars for thousands of years. Germans drafted their adolescents during WW1, and many other countries around the world have done the same.

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