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Child Soldier Position Papers

1812 Words8 Pages

Teagan Hawes
Position Paper Bend 2 Essay
Imagine this: you are a young child who has lost everyone and everything, and the war in your country resulted in the death of your family. Your mother is gone, so there is no one to take care of you. With a gun at your head, the army general commands you to join his force--your choice is live or to die on the spot. So, you are forced to join the army. Believe it or not, this scenario happens everyday and not many people know it. “More than 90% of these children live in countries affected by conflict” (the guardian), which makes these children more susceptible to being abducted, kidnapped, or forced into joining the army. In the report, “Child soldier recruits double in one year in Middle East and North …show more content…

A United Nations reporter says, “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 commanders become the child soldiers role models once they deceive them, and are in most cases, the reason they are still in the army. The children are obedient and scared to disobey the general, so they follow his commands. If the general encourages “perpetrating atrocities”, the children are at a feasible chance of listening and carrying them out. The generals are a big factor why children may commit acts of cruelty, so the children should not be punished for these actions. “...this could be an incentive for their commanders to delegate to them the dirtiest orders…Coomaraswamy said.” This piece of text from the United Nations report is showing how the generals will make the children do all of the inimical and dangerous work, and the work that will get them in the most trouble. The generals don’t care what consequences the children might face, because all they care about are themselves. Generals make the children do the harshest acts, because the children don’t have a say, and know the children will be too terrified of the consequences they will face if they don’t obey. If anyone should not be given amnesty, it should be the generals, for being …show more content…

To begin, some will say that child soldiers should be prosecuted because they have caused harm to others, but rehabilitation should be the aim because of the horrors they have seen. Children have seen blood, bruises, bones, and dead bodies, haphazardly strewn freely among the battlefield--dead. They have seen men trying to murder each other right before their very eyes, and are aghast after what they have seen. What does this do to the minds of these innocent children who haven’t yet learned to be civil? The children are now scarred, and need to learn to cope with the violence they have been influenced by. If they are prosecuted, we would never know what would become of them in the future. For example, Ishmael Beah went on to become semi-famous after rehabilitation, when he was finally able to share his story as a child soldier with the world. In addition, many think that child soldiers could easily walk away from the war and were unnecessarily hurting others, but the soldiers were actually too loyal to the generals to leave. The soldiers become dependant on their commanders and generals for food, money, and once they are addicted, drugs. Food is essential for the growing children, and they feel only the commander can provide it

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569 Words | 3 Pages

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.”

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939 Words | 4 Pages

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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1603 Words | 7 Pages

In the article, “CHILD SOLDIERS AND THE GLOBAL AGENDA” it says, “Children need be the victims of war only if there is no will to prevent it.” This helps show how children should not be involved in war in the first place. They aren’t the ones who have started the war. It isn’t their fault in the first place so why are people punishing the children for their involvement when it wasn’t their fault. They expect the kids to serve time or to get a death sentence when it was adults like them who brought them into this mess.

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380 Words | 2 Pages

The author of Child Soldiers states, “ … kill innocent civilians, other children, and even their own families.” ( ) Child soldiers had not only killed innocent civilians, they had also killed their own families. They did not even have the heart to try to something else about it. From the same article it says, “Over the course of the past decades, child soldiers have been responsible for some of the most brutal acts in

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868 Words | 4 Pages

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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1485 Words | 6 Pages

After receiving some of the commanders terrible and unnecessary punishments, some of the child soldiers had no choice but to replicate. This ranged from rape, to even burning others alive. With this information, it would make sense to not obliterate all of the previous evidence and reasoning and remember everything they have gone through. Combining every painful element discussed, this would almost justify an action

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801 Words | 4 Pages

There were even child soldiers during World War 1, fighting on the front lines. For these reasons, I believe that child soldiers should not be punished for the war crimes they commit when being forced into war. One reason I think that child soldiers should not be punished for their war crimes is

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492 Words | 2 Pages

These child soldiers who are enlisted are not morally responsible for their actions, since they’re simply following orders in order to stay alive. They are taught the “kill or be killed” mentality, and they need professional help in order to become a functioning and contributing member of society. For instance, Bael was helped by the UNICEF organization, and his true potential, no longer affected by the war he was dragged into, was revealed, and he is now an author and human rights activist. By focusing on improving child soldier’s mental health and life, instead of punishing them, they can do great things just like anyone

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579 Words | 3 Pages

Children should not be prosecuted. To finish off, child soldiers shouldn't be put into trial, should not be put into prosecution. Young, poor children are known differently. These kids are being forced, there easily manipulated, and don't even notice how they're being used.

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450 Words | 2 Pages

One of many reasons that child soldiers do not deserve punishment for their crimes is the fact that none of these people were bad to begin with. They were forced to watch their families die right in front of them. Also, most of these children feel terrible about the crimes they’ve committed unless brainwashed to feel otherwise. There are exceptions, but the majority would have never committed a crime if they hadn’t been recruited.

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1646 Words | 7 Pages

When these children use their weapons, others are killed, and these children can get prosecuted. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because they are not fully responsible for their actions, they join without fully knowing what they are doing and for reasons other than wanting to fight, and they should be rehabilitated instead of being prosecuted. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because they are not fully responsible for their actions. Often, child soldiers are doing what they do because of drugs or because they are being forced to. Most times child soldiers are not doing what they want.

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528 Words | 3 Pages

A criminal doing this kind of law breaking doesn’t care about the child’s future. They are driven by greed, and prosecuting these child soldiers will not change anything in the commanders’ minds. It will only hurt the children that had no choice in the

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906 Words | 4 Pages

Child soldiers are scary, tiny, underage criminals. What have they done besides kill people? There are approximately 300,000 child soldiers. 300,000 tiny, little killers. Child soldiers have been being used for many years in many countries.

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1422 Words | 6 Pages

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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857 Words | 4 Pages

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.)

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