In the past ten years, the use of child soldiers has provoked over two million deaths, one million orphans, six million injured or permanently disabled, and ten million children diagnosed with psychological trauma (“Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?”). Children in the military fight for various reasons: to sacrifice themselves, secure revenge, or even to find a family. Throughout this experience, their outlook on war is desensitized and propagandized. The Hour’s interview with Ishmael Beah describes the experience of a former child soldier from Sierra Leone who was rescued and brought to America. His novel describes the terrors of violence and its effect of millions of ignorant children. As organizations work to remove children from war …show more content…
Adolescents committing offenses must take criminal responsibility for their actions. To illustrate, “Child Soldiers Should be Prosecuted”, an article published on Debatewise reveals, “In Sierra Leone, child soldiers committed acts of rape, mutilation and mass killings of civilians...There should be no exception simply because the crimes occur during wartime” (debatewise.org). Clearly, many of these felonies are off the battlefield and are committed solely by choice of the child soldier. Sexual assault, destruction, and murder must be addressed seriously in court regardless of age or situation in which the acts were performed. War serves in no way as a bypass to these ramifications. Additionally, these convicts do not deserve to live alongside their former adversary. Specifically, the article, “Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?” declares, “It would be unjust and unright to allow the perpetrators-the child soldiers- to be allowed to walk free and stand side-by-side with their victims.” (“Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?” ). Victims, who have sacrificed their lives, would not only feel terrorized by these soldiers but also disregarded by their country, for the culprit was not punished. Civilians would not feel comfortable living with a former mass murderer who is capable of shooting an AK-47. These children should be in jail serving the time they are sentenced. The battlefield, unlike The Purge, has punishments that must be served. Thus, child soldiers must face the consequences of a child criminal to bring justice to the