When thinking of children, most see a young, innocent human, incapable of dark tendencies without being provoked. Others don’t see the mind, age, or body, but the murder or illegal act committed in another country as a child soldier. However, evidence from the I.C.C. (International Criminal Court), lives of these child soldiers, and the repercussions of not granting these children amnesty all show that child soldiers should be given a pardon for their convictions. Out of the I.C.C.’s 128 articles on crimes throughout the world, only a handful can be used to give evidence for child soldiers. Article 26 explains that the court cannot have any jurisdiction over anyone under the age of 18 (at the time of the crime) which directly affects child
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To illustrate this point, take Beah, a child recently put into the media for explaining his life as a child soldier. Beah explained he was captured from his home and put into a squad along with boys 7-11 years old. He was told to kill or be killed. He said he couldn’t shoot at first, but as he watched his friends get murdered, he began. Beah said to the Senate "all I did was take drugs, fight and kill or be killed." as a child, his life consisted of murder and drugs, yet we still prosecute him for fighting for his life. The story of Dominic Ongwen also shows this point, a man prosecuted for actions he committed as a child while being forced to serve in a child soldier army. He is currently being prosecuted by the I.C.C. as an adult for actions that occured when he was a child. His story is one of many prosecuted for crimes they committed as children, a reason why many believe child soldiers should be granted amnesty. Many argue a kill is a kill, children who murder need to be prosecuted for their actions. Not prosecuting child soldiers can be seen as an injustice to those the child soldiers murdered in cold blood. However, most children forced into armies are drugged and forced to murder, barely knowing what side they’re on. Everyday children are murdering each other, barely sane enough to know where to shoot, by saying that it is an injustice is unfair if the child soldiers who killed feeling it was their only chance at
To illustrate this point, take Beah, a child recently put into the media for explaining his life as a child soldier. Beah explained he was captured from his home and put into a squad along with boys 7-11 years old. He was told to kill or be killed. He said he couldn’t shoot at first, but as he watched his friends get murdered, he began. Beah said to the Senate "all I did was take drugs, fight and kill or be killed." as a child, his life consisted of murder and drugs, yet we still prosecute him for fighting for his life. The story of Dominic Ongwen also shows this point, a man prosecuted for actions he committed as a child while being forced to serve in a child soldier army. He is currently being prosecuted by the I.C.C. as an adult for actions that occured when he was a child. His story is one of many prosecuted for crimes they committed as children, a reason why many believe child soldiers should be granted amnesty. Many argue a kill is a kill, children who murder need to be prosecuted for their actions. Not prosecuting child soldiers can be seen as an injustice to those the child soldiers murdered in cold blood. However, most children forced into armies are drugged and forced to murder, barely knowing what side they’re on. Everyday children are murdering each other, barely sane enough to know where to shoot, by saying that it is an injustice is unfair if the child soldiers who killed feeling it was their only chance at