Research Paper On Should Child Soldiers Be Punished For War Crimes

801 Words4 Pages

Should child soldiers be punished for their war crimes? Well, I believe they should not be. These children are forced into fighting by being drugged, kidnapped, and threatened. Also, the human brain is not fully developed, making these situations much more detrimental to children, and lastly many children are persuaded into believing that they cannot escape the war. Did you know that child soldiers have been stolen and fought in wars for many years? 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 …show more content…

These situations are turning young and innocent children into bloody soldiers. These children are forced to face violence, and should not be punished for putting into action the violence they have seen around them in war. Another reason I believe that child soldiers should not be punished for their war crimes is because the human brain is not fully developed at their age. This makes these situations much more detrimental to children. In the article The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know, NIMH says that the human brain is fully developed at the age of 25, and the last part of the human brain to fully mature is the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is responsible for skills, including planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions. This is important for you to know because there are child soldiers as young as 9 fighting. This proves that these young soldiers' brains are not ready for this trauma, and all the thoughts that must run through their heads while at war. Now you may really start to understand that the crimes and mistakes these children make at war should not be …show more content…

In the article The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo, Prasow says that it all starts when there is a firefight, and both soldiers from the U.S. and Afghanistan are injured. He then starts talking about the horror stories told about a man that was gang-raped, and later died due to similar injuries. This helps to show that these teens may feel trapped, stuck, or that they have no way out. This proves that these war crimes should be able to be let go without these child soldiers having to worry about being sentenced to life in prison. Some people may say that not punishing these child soldiers for their crimes could lead to them making similar mistakes in the future. On the other hand, ProQuest informs us that child soldiers are often forced ahead of older troops, and are used as shields, and to find landmines. They are used as spies, messengers, guards, porters, cooks, and domestic servants. Many child soldiers are girls, who are expected to fight and are often subjected to rape or sexual exploitation” Do you think these mistakes being made are truly their fault? These children are forced into this. They are drugged, kidnapped, and threatened to