Argumentative Essay: Should Child Soldiers Be Given Amnesty?

Child Soldiers Should Be Given Amnesty All around the world, abandoned children are used as soldiers during war time. In countries like Colombia, any child that can hold a gun can be used as a soldier. Children are considered perfect for the job because “they are easily manipulated, intensely loyal, fearless, and most important, in endless supply,” according to Jeffrey Gettlemen’s Upfront Magazine article, “Armed and Underage.” These children are not just used because these countries need soldiers, but because they can make more. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because most have lost their families and have nowhere else to go, they are underage to be prosecuted in most countries, and they are being manipulated by commanders.. An example of these child soldiers is Ishmael Beah. He was a child soldier in Sierra Leone when he was just twelve years old. Before being a soldier, Beah had a normal life, but his whole family was killed in the war. Ishmael had nothing left and nowhere to go, so he became a child soldier. Another example from “Armed and Underage” is that “In some countries, hunger and poverty drive parents to sell their children into service” (Gettlemen).
Gettlemen also states that “After the government collapsed in 1991, an entire generation was let loose on the streets.” (“Armed and Underage”). The whole generation of kids in Somalia was left with no family. This is one reason why child soldiers should not be prosecuted. They have nothing to lose. They have no choice. If they do not join, they could die. All they are doing is keeping themselves alive. Finding a way to stay alive when you are on your own as a 7-15 year-old is a tough job, but these children have managed to do it. Which brings this to the next point; they are very young to be prosecuted. An article called “Analysis: Should Child Soldiers Be Prosecuted for Their Crimes?”, it states that “‘If a child under the age of 15 is considered too young to fight, then he or she must also be considered too young to be held criminally responsible for serious violations of IHL while associated with armed forces or armed groups’”(Johannesburg). In the same article, Johannesburg states that “Prosecution of a child should always be regarded as a measure of last resort and the purpose of any sentence should be to rehabilitate and reintegrate the child into society.” This is true because former child soldiers should not be prosecuted for things they did in war time when they were younger. In most cases, your minor criminal record is not considered when doing things such as applying for a job, so why should it be any different for the soldiers? Child soldiers are not the only ones doing the killing.
They are being killed equally, if not more. There is evidence that “100,000 child soldiers die every year,” and “there are only around 350,000 child soldiers in the world” (“Scenarios-Child Soldiers: Invisible Children”). These children are set out to die and they do it to make their commanders happy. In Iran, children as young as 12 were used to clear minefields according to Jeffrey Gettleman’s “Armed and Underage.” One may ask why children would send themselves to die just to make their commander happy. Well this is not the only reason. The children are not doing it on their own will. In “Scenarios- Child Soldiers: Invisible Children,” the author states that child soldiers are given drugs and alcohol to make them easily
manipulated. Opponents argue that murder is murder. That sympathy should not be given to a killer. In “The Child Soldier on Trial at Guantanamo,” the author wrote that one former child soldier, Omar Khadr, had thrown a grenade that killed a United States army sergeant and wounded many others (Prasow). This is true, but the evidence is not enough because there is only the evidence given for one child. All the information that others use is about the same child. One child out of 350,000 is not very much. Also, according to Andrea Prasow, Omar is being prosecuted at age 24 for things he did when he was 15. This is completely unfair and unnecessary. For example, If someone were to break a vase of their mother’s, they would not get in trouble 9 years after the happening. Child soldiers should not be prosecuted for their actions, but given amnesty. It is unfair to try them for things they did in the past when they were without hope and family. Some were forced to be soldiers. And the ones that were not forced had no family or friends left to live for. They cannot be blamed for trying their best to stay alive. They can be helped and rehabilitated.