Boom! A bullet goes into an innocent citizen’s head. Everyone gasps. Who would do such a thing? An enemy? A terrorist? You might be shocked to see the small, naive face behind the gun. Child soldiers are young kids that are forced to fight for their country. They get exposed to harsh and gruesome situations, getting drugged along the way. After a while, they get conditioned into enjoying the lifestyle. These kids are perpetrators and should not be given amnesty. If child soldiers are not punished, the commanders will take advantage of them. If they know their soldiers won’t get in trouble, the commanders can use them to do anything they want. According to a report from the United Nations, “Not prosecuting child soldiers may encourage commanders to use soldiers to commit war crimes because they know there will be no consequences.” This shows how war commanders are aware that they can use their soldiers to do the dirtiest orders. But how bad of an order can they get? According to a summative essay about child soldiers, “Child soldiers have been responsible for some of the most brutal acts …show more content…
Even the soldiers themselves admit to it. According to a child soldier interviewed by the New York Times, “‘What do I enjoy?’” Awil asks. “‘I enjoy my gun.’” This shows how without a hesitation, child soldiers can answer that they enjoy killing. This is not just a one time occurrence. Other reports show that killing, or even thinking about killing, makes these soldiers happy. According to The Daily Beast, “When Khadr was mad at his guards, he would remember how he had killed a U.S. soldier and that would make him happy.” Since young soldiers around the world have this same feeling, it shows how badly this lifestyle affects them, no matter where they are. This further proves the point that these soldiers need to go to jail or else the thoughts won’t stop and they won’t comprehend that the ideas they think of are