Should Child Soldiers Be Granted Amnesty Analysis

The use of child soldiers has been an issue since World War II. In discussions about the use of child soldiers, one controversial issue has been whether these child soldier should be granted amnesty or be prosecuted. On one hand, it is argued that child soldier should be prosecuted for their “crimes”. On the other hand, it's argued that child soldiers should be granted amnesty. Child soldiers should be granted amnesty because they were forced to kill due to coercion, they were drugged and brainwashed, and had no access to a proper education.

One reason why child soldiers should be granted amnesty is because the children were forced to become soldiers and kill. Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier says “You either kill, or be killed.” this kind of action is a form of coercion, which is “The practice of persuasion using force or threat.” Child soldiers usually don’t become soldiers or kill by their choice. Jeffrey Gettleman, the author of “Armed and Underage” states this by saying “Thousands of boys, including some as young as 10, are purchased, kidnapped, or terrorized into joining the country’s army.” This piece shows that the children don’t join the army by choice. Like it said in the
quote, being terrorized, purchased, and kidnapped to join the army means that they usually can’t escape. An even if the children are able to escape, they have nowhere to go to.

Another reason why child soldiers should be granted amnesty is because they are drugged and brainwashed to become part of the army.
Children that are forced to be part of the army are usually drugged and brainwashed so they could cooperate better. Ali Sheikh Yassin of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu states “‘These kids can be so easily brainwashed … They don't even have to be payed.’” This makes children an easy recruit for armies. Children cannot be blamed when they are the ones who were left hopeless to fend for themselves, which is why they trust the only adults they know, which are the ones who forced them to join the army. Most of them will be confused, and people must get a better understanding that war creates confusion in young children and
adults.

Finally, child soldiers should be granted amnesty because they usually don’t have access to a proper education. Children who become soldiers often times don’t have a school nearby. The children learn from the adults that “take care” of them, or the ones who turned them into soldiers. A child soldier’s commander, Abdisalam Abdillahi tells us “‘He should be in school … But there is no school.’” This quote shows that child soldiers don’t have a proper education, which lets them look up to and learn from bad role models of the army. Some people suggest that child soldiers should be prosecuted because they are violent and can become a problem. However, what these people don’t see is that children become violent due to bad role models, such as the adults who forced them to become soldiers, and that they should be prosecuted instead.

In conclusion, child soldiers should be granted amnesty because children are forced to become soldiers, they were drugged and brainwashed to cooperate, and they don’t have access to a proper education. People must consider that children are in a rural area in the middle of the war, being confused and mostly by themselves, without the support they should have in order to make the right choices.