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The issue of child soldiers
The issue of child soldiers
The issue of child soldiers
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“The Perfect Weapon for the Meanest Wars’’ is an article by Jeffrey Gettleman from the New York Times on the subject of child soldiers. All over Africa militias are fighting each other for control over certain areas. These militias have deployed four foot tall killing machine that terrorize, loot, and destroy village after village these weapons: child soldiers. Mozambicans have learned that children were the perfect weapon since they were easily manipulated, intensely loyal, fearless and most important in endless supply. There are 300,000 child soldiers worldwide experts say that the nature of the conflict changes especially in Africa.
In most cases the group leaders only want strong soldiers who follow all commands and don’t hesitate to kill a person. If a child refuses to kill, the leaders could torture them for as long as they desire. The Child Soldiers cooperating with the leaders and doing what they are told to do will put them on their good side and won’t put their lives at stake. Doing what they’re suppose to do and showing how they’re not
Austin Sroczenski Mr. McDowell English A 10/4/15 A Long Way From Innocence In 1933, unknown to many parts of the world, Sierra Leone was in the middle of an internal war. As this brutal war continued on, both the Sierra Leone government, and the Revolutionary United Front began to use children as soldiers to fight this battle. The children used in combat are deceived greatly by army generals, in order to turn them into killers.
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.
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.
From 1991 to 2002 Sierra Leone was terrorized by a civil war of corruption and brutality; the belligerents of such atrocities, the Sierra Leone Army (SLA) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). This book review will analyze the story of Ishmael Beah, an eyewitness to and participant in the civil war. What once went virtually unnoticed by the outside world, is now a subject of major debates, the use of child soldiers. In Sierra Leone child soldiers were used widespread and were heavily manipulated; children had no choice but to submit to either the SLA or RUF and fight for causes they did not necessarily support. Sadly, Ishmael was one of those children, he was forced to either join the SLA or be killed by the RUF while unwillingly leaving
These child soldiers are also usually brainwashed and forced to take drugs before committing violence. If child soldiers are “fixed,” they shouldn’t be punished or judged because of their acts as a child soldier. There are many reasons supporting that former child soldiers should be granted amnesty, as long as they prove that they are cured and will not continue to be violent. To begin with, child soldiers are often forced into the position of being a child soldier, and are also forced to be violent. ”Most children are forcibly recruited.”
Child soldiers have been a major issue in countries all over the world for a very long time. For example, Afghanistan is recruiting children to become a part of the Taliban, one of the largest terrorist groups in the country. A theme presented by Ishmael Beah in the book A Long Way Gone: memoirs of a boy soldier is that when all is lost, there is always hope. He went through brutal drugs and a dark childhood while he was in a civil war but he still was able to push through it and find happiness.
There are thousands of child soldiers in the world today. These children are stripped from their homes and sent to fight with people twice their age. Many haven’t even had their 11th birthday yet. Although some people say that child soldiers should not be granted amnesty, evidence shows that these children do deserve amnesty, except in cases when the former soldiers show violent behavior after war because children are forced to commit acts of violence and are force addicted to illegal substances so they won’t want to leave.
Have you ever thought about the long-lasting argument over whether child soldiers should be given amnesty? Well there is no definite answer and in many ways is a complicated argument. To begin with, child soldiers are kids that are usually forced to join armed forces and commit violence to people all around them through false promises and poverty. In many cases, once they join, its almost impossible to change their mind and leave because they immediately get brainwashed through drugs and alcohol. From there, the kids learn how to kill and then all of the violence starts to happen to those around them.
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
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.
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.
In the world today, there is more than 25 countries who still actively use children in warfare. Child soldiers are human beings under the age of 18 who participate in military actions. They are evidently cheaper to maintain and to train than adult soldiers. They are also more loyal and obedient because the young respect their elders. It has been noted that estimately, 300 thousand children were recruited to fight and perform in war (Child Soldiers.)
Resilience is known as bouncing back from the adversities and bringing in strength to cope to difficulties. Adversities happen at personal, community and organisational level. Resilience allows the person to come out of the adversity, rather than staying with it and to move forward further. This is a way of maintaining positive mental health and maintaining one’s own well being in the midst of adverse conditions. It enables a person to maintain positive health in the midst of challenges (Mowbray, 2011).