Should Child Soldiers Be Allowed To Have Rehabilitation Essay

Most children spend their days playing with their friends or running through sprinklers in their front yards, maybe playing with dolls or trucks. There are kids who never will never get to experience this. Instead of jumping in puddles, child soldiers run through blood, and dodge bullets. Many of these children don’t even know about the lives that they could have. These kids are forced, manipulated, or guilted into killing other people. Many people think that the solution is to simply put these children in prison, but really these kids should be given amnesty. The child soldiers should be allowed to have rehabilitation, but if they prove that they are unfit to live in a healthy society, they should be put on trial again, without amnesty. People may think that the children can simply run away, but there are things that hold them back. Many of these …show more content…
In The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo it says, “Two former interrogators testified that Khadr [The child soldier on trial] had bragged about killing a U.S. soldier, and that he claimed the day he planted land mines to kill U.S. and coalition forces was the happiest day of his life. But neither had seen him since they interrogated him in 2002, when he was 16 years old and still medicated from surgery for his near fatal injuries.” The child was under medication when he was interrogated, causing him not to think straight. This interrogation was completely unfair. The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo also says that at age 10 Khadr was taken by his father to visit al Qaeda leaders. Khadr was later sent to a training camp at age 15, by his father. His father, very clearly supported al Qaeda, and most likely forced his views upon his son. If these views were forced, he should not be punished for having them. Khadr can’t be the only child soldier like this. These child soldiers are forced to have the opinions that they