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Analysis: Should Child Soldiers Be Prosecuted For Their Crimes

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When you picture war, what do you see? Is it people with tanks and Ak-47s fighting each other? Maybe adults in camo fighting in the desert? Or perhaps even an image from your Call of Duty video game pops into your head. But what most people don’t imagine is children, ages 9-15, fighting each other and dying at the hands of guns and other weapons. Although this might seem unrealistic, it is a reality for thousands of pre-adolescents around the world. Many places such as Sierra Leone have recruited hundreds of children to fight in wars. Some families die due to the violence, while other children are taken or come willingly and are brainwashed and drugged into thinking that what they are doing is normal. They refer to their commanders as father …show more content…

Most are younger than fifteen and do not know what they are getting themselves into. In the article, “Should Child Soldiers be Prosecuted for Their Crimes?” by Johannesburg, it states “Children are often desired as recruits because they can be easily intimidated and indoctrinated. 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 report said. This quote shows us why so many armies are recruiting children to fight. Children of younger ages don’t really have the power to fight back adults and with undeveloped minds, they can be easily made to do something that they don’t really want to do. Ishmael Beah a former child soldier was on The Hour and recounted what happened to him during his time in the army. “They forcefully trained me, learned how to use the Ak-47s [sic]. Perfection came by actually being in war… You do what commanders want you to do if not they will kill you and then you’re fed drugs and then… You’re given more drugs after.” This account from Ishmael Beah shows us a direct source of what really happens. It also shows us how kids are easily influenced to do whatever the commander wants and if not they would be killed. In one way, this shows how the children were only trying to save themselves. He also explained how people were killed in front of him to …show more content…

They admit to what they did. Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, got rescued from his previous service. Although it was hard for him to recover and he didn’t want to leave at first, he realizes what he did was wrong. He wrote a whole book on his experiences. “I will never be able to forget any of what happened to me. I’ve come to learn how to live with it… you forgive yourself and you forgive others.” Ishmael regrets what he did and doesn’t believe that any child soldier should be prosecuted. He forgives everyone so that he can be able to move on with his life. If anyone knows best about what happened, shouldn’t it be the people who actually went through it? They have first hand accounts on how cruel the commanders were or how their lives were being put in danger every second of the day. 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. The expect them to apologize when they

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This literary piece “The Making and Unmaking of a child soldier” by Ishmael Beah, unravels aspects of the world often looked over. The book opens an eye on how child soldiers are used as spawn for civil wars for ruthless warlords over drug empires in Sierra Leone. Children are forced to become soldiers to serve for military and save their country, Sierra Leone. Child soldiers are also forced to work and there are many different jobs which are given to child soldiers.

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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.

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Innocence Lost: Exploring the Lasting Physical and Psychological Impact on Child Soldiers “The war had given us new eyes to see the world, but they were eyes that would always haunt us”(Beah, 2008). Ishmael Beah’s book, A Long Way Gone, is a memoir of a boy soldier who talks about his first-hand experiences as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. The book is a narrative that guides readers through the life of Ishmael Beah, from Beah’s childhood in a small village to the recruitment into government army and involvement in the war. Beah vividly describes the nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional stress he experiences even after being rescued and rehabilitated. Through Ishmael Beah’s story, Beah gives insight into the psychological

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Today there are thousands of child soldiers around the world. In these conflicts they are not only as a soldier but they are also used as suicide bombers for religion causes, spies, lookout and many more tasks where children are

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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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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.

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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.

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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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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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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.

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With that in mind, the child soldiers after being shoved into the brutalness of the Civil War in Sierra Leone were messed up in head. The kids would have to witness people being shot, stabbed, stoned, and abused, all without being able to do anything about it other than watch and participate in the ferocious events. In the article “A Brutal Upbringing” it states in paragraph two, "They're traumatised but we don't have the means to counsel these children, to ensure these children are engaged in productive activities…”. That quote shows that some people are aware that the children are traumatised and scared, but that people still aren't doing much to try to heal the broken hearts of these poor children. There are a few organization in which are trying to help rehabilitate the broken down kids, who were once child soldiers.

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You may think that child soldiers are only located in places that are undergoing some sort of conflict. But countries such as Russia are also recruiting children for military purposes. They have a club in Russia where five-year olds are learning how

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However, what they’ve done doesn 't come with the fact that child soldiers live with rugged conditions, drugs, the influence of others. Even though some people believe that child soldier’s shouldn’t be given amnesty, overall, it becomes clear that these children should be given amnesty because many adults influence their actions, they live in inferior conditions, and children who enlist as child soldiers enlist for multiple reasons other than violence. First, in many areas, it can be clearly seen that child soldiers are influenced by their superiors. No one is ever born dangerous, it’s always their parents and environment that shape a child into who they are.

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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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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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