Social Issues: Child Soldiers

20 Child Amnesty
The issue of child soldiers came to a worldwide attention when the strongest, and most relentless child soldier army the LRA, killed thousands of people. These child soldiers and this army, performed actions that many people cannot easily just forgive and forget. From rape on young innocent women, to cruel and unusual punishment, the possibility of freedom for these young children was slim. What the main leaders of the LRA did to the accused was inescapable. However, many are not informed that behind all of the inhumane actions, are clear reasons of why this all occurred which also proves how these innocent minors deserve amnesty. The young soldiers were manipulated to do as told, they were drugged

Along with those arrangements, they were, in fact, drugged to kill. A majority of the innocent children in the army were put on drugs, some substances had a much greater effect. In the article, “Social Issues: Child Soldiers,” it explains what drugs that the combatants were being forced to take, along with the behaviors behind it. To emphasize, “... amphetamines, crack cocaine, palm wine, brown-brown (cocaine mixed with gunpowder), marijuana and tranquilizers help disengage the child’s actions from any sense of reality. Children who refuse to take the drugs are beaten or killed.” (Michelle Steel para 18). This defeats the statement of when others state that drugs were a choice, they were forced into taking the drugs in which brainwashed them into killing people. As described and outlooked, countless of the innocent were so drugged that they had no idea what they were doing. If the adolescents were drugged, this causes an issue, because not only does it make them clueless as to what they are doing, but moreover, completely unaware. The more soldiers that were drugged, the more that were killed because they were under the influence. Unfortunately, the children still killed people, but what changes that thought is that they were indeed drugged to assassinate. In the army, the juveniles were depended on to take the drugs that were given.. Again, by Patrick Radden

As they were pieces of property in the army, many of the girls were demanded to do much worse of actions. In the article, “Social Issues: Child Soldiers,” written by Michelle Steel, it explains the actions that the girls were forced to do to keep the leader pleased. For example, Steel wrote, “Girls not only fight on the front lines but provide domestic labor and serve as ‘wives.’ From the age of 13 they may be given to boy soldiers or adult commanders. They have no choice: those who refuse are killed or raped.” (Michelle Steel para 8). As shown, Michelle makes a clear point and is very clear as to how child soldiers deserve amnesty, because not only were they were manipulated but they were basically given an ultimatum to perform certain behaviors to please the leaders and boys. The girls in the army played the role as a “wife.” If they had disobeyed the orders of a leader, they were threatened to be raped or killed. They had been forced to do what satisfied the leaders, they certainly could not have found a loophole through all of these majors. Though it is already a cruel idea for the young girls and women, many of the members were forced to substantially kill their own family members or close relatives. The article, “Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted,” by Asena Bosnak, reads, "I was forced literally to kill my best