Imagine that you’re in the streets of the Republic of Congo and you see a young child being lashed because he wouldn’t kill his family. The next day you walked by the same spot and you find the same eleven-year-old child lying stiff on the street. This is a normal day in Congo for child soldiers that are often forced to kill their family members in return for their life.
The definition of a child soldier is anyone under the age of eighteen who is forced to fight, kill others, or commit suicide. It is agonizing to know the fact that more than two million young children have been killed while fighting in combat. Today there are an estimated three hundred thousand child soldiers around the world, and it is likely that forty percent of military groups use them. In many cases if they don’t fulfill their task then they will be killed or beaten. The children are brainwashed from a very young age so that they will kill without thought. In extreme cases, they lose respect for their own life and become suicide bombers. Many people argue about whether child soldiers are victims or perpetrators. Some people believe that child soldiers are perpetrators because they kill people. On the other hand, I think it is bitter to believe that a child who is forced to kill can be held accountable for his or her crimes. Child soldiers are victims because they are forced to kill, take drugs that brainwash them, and are often treated unfairly upon arrest.
To start, child soldiers are often recruited into killing others. They are often orphans or lost at the time of recruitment with nowhere to go, and are offered food or shelter by recruiters. Then they are taken to a training camp where they are treated poorly, forced to do terrible things, and are killed if they try to escape. Many groups use them, from terrorist groups such as ISIS to national governments such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some people would say that child soldiers are not forced to kill, however, I believe the atrocities committed by child soldiers are proof that the children lack free will. An example of a horrendous thing that some child soldiers in the Republic of Congo are forced to do was reported by Amnesty International. They reported that, “as a 15-year-old soldier, 'Kalami' was made to kill a family, to cut up their bodies and eat them”.(Amnesty international 1) I believe no one wants to kill a person and then eat them as this is truly horrifying and no one should be forced to do this. If the children refuse, they are killed. They are trained and forced to kill or be killed, with some soldiers being as young as 7 to 8 years old.
Another significant reason that child soldiers are victims is that child soldiers are forced to take drugs or go through other training so that they will kill people without remorse, follow their commanders request, and remain loyal to their manipulative militant group. The child doesn’t know the gravity of murder because during their time at the training camp they have been intoxicated with a mix of gunpowder and cocaine. This drug is often call “Brown Brown” and may result in magical thinking among susceptible children. In some groups the officials force the child soldiers into cannibalism because it ruins their respect for human life. If they refuse to take the drugs or eat other people, next they are beaten or killed. Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, once stated, “My squad is my family, my gun is my provider and protector, and my rule is to kill or be killed”.(Beah 1) His quote is significant because it supports my theory that child soldiers believe that their militant groups are their family and that they must kill to stay alive. Ishmael Beah also stated, “shooting somebody became just like drinking a glass of water”.(Beah 1)9 I believe that his respect for human life was ruined by the drugs and other brainwashing techniques, and he didn’t care if he killed multiple people.
Additionally, child soldiers are treated unfairly after they are arrested. In an article about Omar Khadr, a former child soldier, the author stated, “As I sat watching the sentencing hearing at Guantanamo Bay of Omar Khadr, a former child soldier, I wondered how his being detained here for eight years without trial could actually be used against him”.(Andrea Prawson) As it was, he was accused of becoming more radical in his views while he was detained without a trial for eight years. I believe he was being treated unfairly because he was prosecuted for murder that he committed when he was still a child and was accused of being more alarming to society because of his long stay in prison without representation. The sixth amendment states that an American citizen will have an unbiased and speedy trial, however, it does not apply to foreign child soldiers. On the other hand, Omar was forcefully brought to an American prison and was detained there for eight years, thus denying him the sixth amendment right that would be afforded to an American child. Another example of a child soldier that was being unfairly tried is Dominic Ongwen. According to CNN he was abducted as a 14-year-old child but later rose to a high rank in a Ugandan rebel group. The prosecutors wanted to accuse him of war crimes that were committed when he was underage. Some think that this is fair because he killed hundreds of people but I believe that it is horrible to hold a child accountable for a war crime.
In conclusion, child soldiers are victims. They are forcefully recruited and tricked into committing atrocities. They are heavily drugged so that they will fight, kill, listen, and respect their peers. I also believe that when they are found by militaries or tried in court, they are unfairly tried and violated of their rights. People are starting to look optimistically toward rehabilitating rescued child soldiers. They are truly victims who should be treated fairly and compassionately, given what they’ve been through because they never had a choice.
The definition of a child soldier is anyone under the age of eighteen who is forced to fight, kill others, or commit suicide. It is agonizing to know the fact that more than two million young children have been killed while fighting in combat. Today there are an estimated three hundred thousand child soldiers around the world, and it is likely that forty percent of military groups use them. In many cases if they don’t fulfill their task then they will be killed or beaten. The children are brainwashed from a very young age so that they will kill without thought. In extreme cases, they lose respect for their own life and become suicide bombers. Many people argue about whether child soldiers are victims or perpetrators. Some people believe that child soldiers are perpetrators because they kill people. On the other hand, I think it is bitter to believe that a child who is forced to kill can be held accountable for his or her crimes. Child soldiers are victims because they are forced to kill, take drugs that brainwash them, and are often treated unfairly upon arrest.
To start, child soldiers are often recruited into killing others. They are often orphans or lost at the time of recruitment with nowhere to go, and are offered food or shelter by recruiters. Then they are taken to a training camp where they are treated poorly, forced to do terrible things, and are killed if they try to escape. Many groups use them, from terrorist groups such as ISIS to national governments such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some people would say that child soldiers are not forced to kill, however, I believe the atrocities committed by child soldiers are proof that the children lack free will. An example of a horrendous thing that some child soldiers in the Republic of Congo are forced to do was reported by Amnesty International. They reported that, “as a 15-year-old soldier, 'Kalami' was made to kill a family, to cut up their bodies and eat them”.(Amnesty international 1) I believe no one wants to kill a person and then eat them as this is truly horrifying and no one should be forced to do this. If the children refuse, they are killed. They are trained and forced to kill or be killed, with some soldiers being as young as 7 to 8 years old.
Another significant reason that child soldiers are victims is that child soldiers are forced to take drugs or go through other training so that they will kill people without remorse, follow their commanders request, and remain loyal to their manipulative militant group. The child doesn’t know the gravity of murder because during their time at the training camp they have been intoxicated with a mix of gunpowder and cocaine. This drug is often call “Brown Brown” and may result in magical thinking among susceptible children. In some groups the officials force the child soldiers into cannibalism because it ruins their respect for human life. If they refuse to take the drugs or eat other people, next they are beaten or killed. Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier, once stated, “My squad is my family, my gun is my provider and protector, and my rule is to kill or be killed”.(Beah 1) His quote is significant because it supports my theory that child soldiers believe that their militant groups are their family and that they must kill to stay alive. Ishmael Beah also stated, “shooting somebody became just like drinking a glass of water”.(Beah 1)9 I believe that his respect for human life was ruined by the drugs and other brainwashing techniques, and he didn’t care if he killed multiple people.
Additionally, child soldiers are treated unfairly after they are arrested. In an article about Omar Khadr, a former child soldier, the author stated, “As I sat watching the sentencing hearing at Guantanamo Bay of Omar Khadr, a former child soldier, I wondered how his being detained here for eight years without trial could actually be used against him”.(Andrea Prawson) As it was, he was accused of becoming more radical in his views while he was detained without a trial for eight years. I believe he was being treated unfairly because he was prosecuted for murder that he committed when he was still a child and was accused of being more alarming to society because of his long stay in prison without representation. The sixth amendment states that an American citizen will have an unbiased and speedy trial, however, it does not apply to foreign child soldiers. On the other hand, Omar was forcefully brought to an American prison and was detained there for eight years, thus denying him the sixth amendment right that would be afforded to an American child. Another example of a child soldier that was being unfairly tried is Dominic Ongwen. According to CNN he was abducted as a 14-year-old child but later rose to a high rank in a Ugandan rebel group. The prosecutors wanted to accuse him of war crimes that were committed when he was underage. Some think that this is fair because he killed hundreds of people but I believe that it is horrible to hold a child accountable for a war crime.
In conclusion, child soldiers are victims. They are forcefully recruited and tricked into committing atrocities. They are heavily drugged so that they will fight, kill, listen, and respect their peers. I also believe that when they are found by militaries or tried in court, they are unfairly tried and violated of their rights. People are starting to look optimistically toward rehabilitating rescued child soldiers. They are truly victims who should be treated fairly and compassionately, given what they’ve been through because they never had a choice.