Child Soldiers In War

In conflicts throughout the world “two million [child soldiers] have been killed, over one million orphaned, over six million have been left seriously injured or permanently disabled and over 10 million have been diagnosed with psychological trauma” over just the past ten years (Invisible Children). Not everyone will be familiar with the issue of the use of child soldiers in wars across the world. Universally, child soldiers are generally frowned upon for use in combat for being inhumane and barbarous. Especially in third world countries, child soldiers are used for conflicts extensively. They are known for committing some of the most brutal acts in wartime in countries like Sierra Leone, Sudan, Afghanistan, etc. Therefore, many government

Despite the fact that some people believe child soldiers are replicas or replicate child criminals, child soldiers should be given amnesty because they aren't morally responsible for their actions, they are forced into fighting, and the goal should be to rehabilitate the child soldiers and not to punish them.
First of all, child soldiers should not be held accountable for their actions during wartime. While it is well known that children make imperfect decisions all the time, there is a scientific reasoning to this phenomena. Studies show that “the section of the brain known as the frontal lobes controls decision making and only fully develops well into your 20's. Children simply lack the ability to think of the long-term consequences of their actions” (Invisible Children). While if it is something as simple as stealing a cookie from the cookie jar or joining the army, these children should not be prosecuted for these

Throughout the world, there are many organizations and rehabilitation programs to help former child soldiers recover from their PTSD and understand what acts they committed on the battlefield. Invisible Children, a non-profit organization that discusses the topic of child soldiers, stated, “Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TTR) and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Rehabilitation programs (DDR) are a better way of helping child soldiers come to terms with what they did and re-integrate them into society.” (Invisible Children) While it is easy for humans to blame others, they usually do not ever try to help them heal their trauma and help them re-enter society. Instead, they throw them behind bars or torture them through physical pain, mental pain, or manual labor in concentration camps like America’s own Guantanamo Bay. Next, prosecutions risk being supportive towards the victim of a crime due to victor’s justice. In court, juries and judges tend to feel more empathy for the victim over the accused criminal which can distort the truth in cases. Debatewise.org, an organization that debates serious world topics such as equality and world laws, proclaimed, “Judges also may be selective based on the lack of evidence or an overloaded justice system...” While this does seem extremely biased and unfair towards the defendant, that is because it is. This happens very often in court and can ruin