debatewise.org/debates/3002-child-soldiers-prosecution/ There are more than 300,000 child soldiers around the world and some of them are younger than 7 years old- (Flows, Capital). Countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Myanmar have the most child soldiers in the world. They are exploited in state run armies, paramilitaries and rebel groups. Some countries are debating on this issue to stop people from recruiting child soldiers. They are treated violently in the army by the soldiers that are older than them. They are fed drugs to stay awake and are given less food to eat. Recently there have been a lot of sexual violence done to girl child soldiers that are very young - ("Hard Life for Child Soldiers." )Despite the harsh living conditions, they stay in the army to kill American soldiers. Child Soldiers are perpetrators because the stuff they do is no better than what a criminal would do. Child soldiers commit crimes after they are forced to join the army. Most child soldiers volunteer to be in the army to avenge the death of their families. Some children earn money from being in the army("Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted).Many children occupy command positions in their armed group/military and are responsible for planning or ordering the commission of war crimes and human rights abuses. Child soldiers volunteer in the army to, “become soldiers in wartime out of patriotism or a desire to avenge the death of their families” ("Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted"). According to the article ‘A former Child Soldier Will Stand Trial In The Hague For War Crimes’, a child soldier should be considered a perpetrator because they do more crimes than any other adult in the military. Gregory Warner, the writer of the article gives evidence that, “As a teenager Ongwen allegedly became a fearless leader of raiding parties, abducting more children and subjecting them to initiations as cruel as his own must have been” (Warner).This piece of evidence summarizes that Ongwen was more cruel to other children than the soldiers was to him when he was abducted. Some people may argue that child soldiers should be considered victims more than perpetrators. However, they ignore that child soldiers are forced to commit illegal crimes. They are forced to use drugs and drink alcohol that keeps them active. When they are in military camps, they have a lack of food and clothes. In short, the lives of Child Soldiers are really violent and severe. These harsh conditions may lead them to take revenge on other soldiers that makes people think they are victims ("Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted.") Child soldiers are struggling through their lives and just trying to survive. They need help from all of us and we should start helping them. When it comes to child soldiers, everybody just starts talking how to help them but no one takes any action towards that issue. If talking could do everything, then there would be no courts, no police and no security anywhere. This is the time when the countries need to start taking action toward child soldiers. There is still hope left in child soldiers and they still have a little courage that can help them escape from the trap. The time is not far when that little hope is going to die out and we will not be able to do anything. The world needs to look in this issue and prevent it. They need to save the children’s lives that are being destroyed. They do not get any education and they don’t have any family. When they grow up, they are either put in jail or they are killed. They are interrogated violently by the police so that they can give them some information about other child soldiers who committed crimes.Some child soldiers manage to escape from their trap and they start a whole new life in the US. When people that recruit child soldiers are caught, they shed crocodilian tears that do not mean anything.It is time for us to help them now. debatewise.org/debates/3002-child-soldiers-prosecution/
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AuthorAditya Aurora, nickname Adi. A student at Creekside Middle School, Carmel, IN. ArchivesCategories |