Should Child Soldiers Be Granted?

When it comes to the topic of child soldiers, most people agree that it is immoral and wrong. Where this agreement ends however is on the question of whether child soldiers should be prosecuted, or granted amnesty.Whereas some believe that soldiers are criminals and should be punished, others maintain that child soldiers have been forced to carry out immoral acts and should be granted amnesty by the United Nations. I feel that child soldiers should be forgiven and granted amnesty because they were forced, because they are children, and because they are also victims. The first reason child soldiers should not be prosecuted is because they were forced. Children were often given no choice. It was either become a soldier, or die. I know that if I was in that situation, I would do anything I could do to stay alive. The children were just trying to survive. On top of that, after being “recruited”, the children were given drugs and alcohol
As said before, most child soldiers are forced to kill and are separated from their families. They get brainwashed and mindlessly follow orders from commanders. Prosecuting these children would be like punishing a victim. Instead, they should be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society so they can live normal lives. This is supported by a quote from the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project which states “Child soldiers are often victims of war themselves. Prosecutions do not allow the opportunity to rehabilitate child soldiers and instead prioritise the right of the victims over the rights of the child even though the child himself will probably have suffered as well,” Others believe that not prosecuting child soldiers will encourage the recruitment and use of child soldiers. While I can understand this, people using child soldiers are already breaking the law so it’s not likely they’re going to stop just because the child faces