4
Fighting for the Youth
All around the world there has been violent fighting. Now, commanders have gone to a new type of soldier, child soldiers. The issue of child soldiers being given amnesty goes all the way back to World War 1, “Nearly every country involved in these wars made use of child soldiers” (Child soldiers in History). Now child soldiers are being used all around the world, mostly in Africa. These child soldiers should be given amnesty because they were abducted, drugged, and forced into fighting.
One of the reasons why child soldiers should be given amnesty is that they were abducted and taken into fighting. Leaders of violent war groups have resorted to using children as soldiers due to the vast amounts of them, “More than …show more content…
For example, Jeff Koinange states, “Bodies of men, women, and even children littered the street” (Koinange 2). This shows the horrible things that child soldiers do, yet he fails to explain what the circumstances were that the children did these things. The children that are taken have no choice to do the horrible things. For example, the another article states that the child soldiers are“flogged, tortured and raped,” if they do not do as they are told (Withnall 1). The things that child soldiers do are horrible but the conditions that they do this stuff, makes the guilt lie at the hands of the commander. Another significant reason child soldiers can not be the ones blamed for the murdering of innocent people, is the drugs that they are given. The soldiers can be manipulated by the drugs and they lose their sense of“reality”(Michelle Steel para. 17). The art of manipulation has been mastered by the commanders to make the children think what they are doing is right. Certainly it can be seen, child soldiers are not responsible for what they have done because of the things that have been done to …show more content…
If the violent nature of child soldiers are still given amnesty, through adulthood and leadership, then the international court should reevaluate. Child soldiers are forced to do things, and the adult leaders of these groups are the one inflicting the punishment. “Those who refused to fight were flogged, tortured and raped” (Withnall 1). As it is said, the children have no choice for they will be punished, they will only do these horrible things to stay alive. The leaders such as Dominic Ongwen have done to many horrible things to the children in Northern Uganda. He[Dominic Ongwen] is charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a leader of the LRA(Ongora 1). With the large amounts of very terrible crimes he can not be innocent. The reasons of child soldiers being given amnesty is based off the things done by the leaders. There is not excuse for the leaders such as Dominic Ongwen to be doing such things without being punished.
As can be seen, there are many reasons that child soldiers should be given amnesty. Child soldiers have been taken from their homes and families at a young age. Also, child soldiers have been forced to take drugs and taken advantage of. Along with that child soldiers are being forced to fight. Although the other side may see child soldiers as ruthless killers, but research
Fighting for the Youth
All around the world there has been violent fighting. Now, commanders have gone to a new type of soldier, child soldiers. The issue of child soldiers being given amnesty goes all the way back to World War 1, “Nearly every country involved in these wars made use of child soldiers” (Child soldiers in History). Now child soldiers are being used all around the world, mostly in Africa. These child soldiers should be given amnesty because they were abducted, drugged, and forced into fighting.
One of the reasons why child soldiers should be given amnesty is that they were abducted and taken into fighting. Leaders of violent war groups have resorted to using children as soldiers due to the vast amounts of them, “More than …show more content…
For example, Jeff Koinange states, “Bodies of men, women, and even children littered the street” (Koinange 2). This shows the horrible things that child soldiers do, yet he fails to explain what the circumstances were that the children did these things. The children that are taken have no choice to do the horrible things. For example, the another article states that the child soldiers are“flogged, tortured and raped,” if they do not do as they are told (Withnall 1). The things that child soldiers do are horrible but the conditions that they do this stuff, makes the guilt lie at the hands of the commander. Another significant reason child soldiers can not be the ones blamed for the murdering of innocent people, is the drugs that they are given. The soldiers can be manipulated by the drugs and they lose their sense of“reality”(Michelle Steel para. 17). The art of manipulation has been mastered by the commanders to make the children think what they are doing is right. Certainly it can be seen, child soldiers are not responsible for what they have done because of the things that have been done to …show more content…
If the violent nature of child soldiers are still given amnesty, through adulthood and leadership, then the international court should reevaluate. Child soldiers are forced to do things, and the adult leaders of these groups are the one inflicting the punishment. “Those who refused to fight were flogged, tortured and raped” (Withnall 1). As it is said, the children have no choice for they will be punished, they will only do these horrible things to stay alive. The leaders such as Dominic Ongwen have done to many horrible things to the children in Northern Uganda. He[Dominic Ongwen] is charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity as a leader of the LRA(Ongora 1). With the large amounts of very terrible crimes he can not be innocent. The reasons of child soldiers being given amnesty is based off the things done by the leaders. There is not excuse for the leaders such as Dominic Ongwen to be doing such things without being punished.
As can be seen, there are many reasons that child soldiers should be given amnesty. Child soldiers have been taken from their homes and families at a young age. Also, child soldiers have been forced to take drugs and taken advantage of. Along with that child soldiers are being forced to fight. Although the other side may see child soldiers as ruthless killers, but research