Dear _________
We have this Langauge Arts project in 8 grade where we discuss child soldiers, what they are, and what we should think of them.
I have made a decision and this is what it is about below, I think you should think the same and try to get your country or nation to help support the cause of banning child soldiers. My essay isn't about whether or not child soldiers should be used, or how to stop them, but what my essay is about is if child soldiers should be given amnesty or be prosecuted for the war crimes they committed.
Should Child Soldiers be given Amnesty or be
prosecuted?
For many years, child soldiers have been used in wars. Abusing children, and making them soldiers is a worldwide problem, except, it normally happens in the "Third World Countries," countries that are very poor and don't have enough money to afford a good professional army, but instead rely on child soldiers. You may ask, "What are child soldiers?" They are children, any age below 18, that are part of a military or an army. Child soldiers, and what happens to them, doesn't impact us, so why would we care or do anything? Because if we don't do anything, those child soldiers will commit war crimes, abuse, kill, and torture civilians, in other words, they have become traumatized perpetrators of horrible war crimes. The question isn't if child soldiers are okay or good, they are the last resource for these countries, they don't have anything else to "use" as soldiers. So basically if we do stop child soldiers, these poor countries won't have any soldiers and will have a really bad military, which will stop them from starting conflicts. It does mean that that country can't defend itself from external threats. The real question is, what should happen to the child soldiers, should they be prosecuted, or given amnesty, should they go to a rehabilitation center, go to jail, or be executed.
In my opinion, it depends from child to child whether or not they get amnesty or are prosecuted. It depends on what the child does, if they commit war crimes, if they abuse, and if they torture. I don't think that whether or not they voluntarily joined the army should be part of the consideration. The reason I think this, is if they voluntarily joined, they probably lost everything, their parents, their homes, they don't have food, and don't know what to do. In addition, they are being brainwashed and don't know anymore what is good and bad in society. So, they join the military. The military has food and water, shelter, and other things, other than necessities, like drugs and alcohol. Things that make them feel good. I understand that the children have nowhere to go, and they probably don't have parents either, so what better than to join the military? Children are indoctrinated by their army leaders by fake promises of victory, drugs, alcohol, freedom, as well as corporal punishment, together with their daily food and shelter. All this with the effect that the children kill innocent civilians, other children, and even their own families. Other examples of leaders taking the children are by force, or because the children have nowhere else to go, no one else that cares about them or wants them except for the military.
What I think should happen to these child soldiers is that someone, for example, a company or a nation, they listen to the story of the children, what happened to them, what they did, who they killed, how long they served, how they were treated, and how they treated others. This will determine what will happen to them after having gone to a rehabilitation center where they will get a forced treatment, a forced free education, they will learn the consequences of war, learn what is good and bad, and hopefully at the end of this, they will be able to function in society appropriately.
During war, the children committed war crimes. They killed innocent civilians, they abused people, they tortured people. In any case, they are not, like child criminals, they were brainwashed, they never learned, they never knew. Except, they should have logically known that they shouldn't kill civilians, they shouldn't abuse and torture them either. So, should they be prosecuted for this? They should be prosecuted, even though they were brainwashed and forced, this doesn't excuse the facts of how they acted and the pain they brought to families. It does lessen the punishment, the punishment that child criminals would have gotten due to them knowing what they did, no one is telling them to do it, they could have easily avoided the situation, unlike child soldiers.
Think about it, if we don't punish the children, or take them away and just leave them where they are, the leaders or the commanders of the armies will just keep on using more and more child soldiers. The best thing about child soldiers, well, is that there is no ending supply. So the leaders will just keep using them, thinking no one is going to do anything about it. Another reason third world countries use them is because they are free to get with a very little additional cost of food, water, shelter, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. The reason the army gives them drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes is so that it helps the commanders stay in command, and it makes the kids even more loyal. The children are also easily manipulated, forcing them to make choices like joining the army, something they probably wouldn't normally consider, except, the army recruits them through false promises. As well as them being easily manipulated, they are also fearless. The reason for them being fearless is because in school they didn't learn about the consequences of war and what it can do to the children. The reason they probably don't learn about the horror of war in school is either because they don't go to school, this can occur for many reasons, or because the government forces to make the teachers teach that war is good, and god wills for it. This stage is where the biggest part of the brainwash starts. Another reason for them being fearless is drug induced bravery.
It's not only third world countries that use child soldiers for their military, it is also warlords, and drug lords that use them as well. Warlords and drug lords first steal the children from their families, either bribe them, threaten them, or say that it is gods will for them to be here as a result of making them stay. There are many reasons why warlords and drug lords might want to use child soldiers. A reason might be the same as why a country might want to use them, they are cheap. Another reason, because child soldiers are illegal, the country might attack the warlord or and drug lord, but because they have children with them from that same country, it prevents the country from attacking which is really clever.
Child soldiers are only in third world countries. Child soldiers are in countries all over the globe, they spread from Yemen to Mexico, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Myanmar, from Syria to the Central African Republic, and from Sudan and South Sudan to Columbia. Child soldiers are in the militaries of armies to the warlords and drug lords in their countries. What my point is, is that there is no one place with child soldiers, which makes it even harder to stop it.
Child criminals are illegal, and they are illegal in every country in the world. The reason that countries still use them is because when war strikes a country, laws are rarely followed, and as a result, children under the age of 18 are recruited by armies. Even though it is the countries and army's fault for recruiting the children, the children still get punished. Look at the story of Akram, "A nine-year-old child who was used as a bomber, was prosecuted for the crimes he committed despite being 9 years younger that the current minimum age of criminal responsibility in Yemen." "Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?" "As well as the time in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's, Iranian children who were used as soldiers would be sent out ahead in waves over minefields. Also, during Palestine’s fight with Israel, children would often be used as soldiers from both sides." "Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?"
In conclusion, I think that child soldiers are a really bad thing, I feel that child soldiers should be perpetrated for their actions, but the punishment should be not as cruel of a punishment as if a child criminal would do the exact same act. The reason I believe this is because I think, instinctively they should know that killing innocent civilians is bad, and so is killing in general, but in a way, they were forced and didn't have anywhere else to go.
I feel that it is a necessity for first world countries to step in and help prevent child soldiers from being used. I also believe that a forced education and a forced treatment for them are required because of their instability, and them not knowing what good and bad is. I hope we abolish the use of child soldiers in the near future, just like we abolsihed slavery and made everybody equal.
By Ayvret van Waveren
an 8th grader
from TAISM, The American International School of Muscat
Websites I used:
“Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?”
“Armed & Underage” by Jeffrey Gentlemen, Upfront
Should child soldiers be prosecuted for war crimes?
Web sites and videos related to this:
Ishmael Beah—Child Soldier
“Armed & Underage” by Jeffrey Gentlemen, Upfront
“Analysis: Should child soldiers be prosecuted for their crimes?”
“Child Soldiers—Victims or Perpetrators?”
“The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo”
The efforts of the youth movement Invisible Children
soldiers”
“Hope for Uganda’s Childhood Soldiers?”
Ishmael Beah on CBS News with Katie Couric
