Why Do Child Soldiers Deserve Amnesty

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Can anyone possibly imagine a child in war causing havoc while carrying loaded weapons? Many child soldiers are being stolen from their families and being forced to fight and then being punished for their crimes committed in the wars. Unfortunately, there are tons of children forced to fight in the wars today. The topic child soldiers has become a huge controversy across the world today because of whether or not child soldiers deserve amnesty. The reason why it has become so controversial is because many people question if it is truly the child's fault that he or she committed the war crimes. Some people think that the child is not responsible for their crimes because they are being forced to commit them and they believe that child soldiers …show more content…
According to debatewise.org, it states, “It may be that the child thought it would be safer to enlist or factors such as poverty and hunger influenced their decision rather than a desire to fight. Once children are recruited into the military it is also difficult for them to leave because they become dependent on their commanders for drugs, alcohol, money and food.” What this evidence suggests is, that the child soldiers don’t go there to fight and kill people. The child soldiers just want to go there for the food and money. This shows that child soldiers should be given amnesty because they are forced to join the armed services for the money and food. Jeffrey Gettleman writes, “Today, the Asian nation of Myanmar has one of the world’s highest rates of child-soldier recruitment.Thousands of boys, some as young as 10, are purchased, kidnapped, or terrorized into joining the country’s army.” This evidence shows that these child soldiers are being pulled away from their families and being forced into the armed services. Child soldiers are being split up from their families and being kidnapped and forced into war. Then, they end up following their commanders and if they don’t they won’t get food and shelter. However, the child soldiers are still being blamed for the crimes. Child soldiers should be given amnesty after possibly being kidnapped and forced into

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