The Pros And Cons Of Child Soldiers

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Child soldiers are children below 18 years of age who are recruited by a state or non-state armed group. They are used as fighters, suicide bombers, cooks, human shields, messengers, spies, or for sexual purposes (11 Facts About Child Soldiers). The global use of children in armed conflicts by rebel forces and governments is one of the most horrifying trends in wars today. However, justice systems struggle to determine whether child soldiers are really the perpetrators or the victims. Child soldiers should not be prosecuted for their actions because they are easily manipulated, most of the children are forcibly recruited and drugged, and the aim should not be to punish them, but to send them to rehabilitation.
Child soldiers are easily manipulated by armed groups without difficulty. Commanders can do this by spreading fear of …show more content…
They are drugged by their commanders with a drug called brown-brown, which is a mixture of gunpowder and cocaine. It brainwashes them to the point where they would rather not escape from the violence and horror around them. In Paul Kan’s paper, Drug Intoxicated Irregular Fighters: Complications, Dangers and Responses he refers to “white powder” in connection with a child soldier’s statement on p.13: “Before battles, I was given white powder which was mixed with rice. It made me brave; it made me think I could do anything (Child Soldiers, “brown-brown).” Some may be volunteers, but that does not compare to the sweeping majority of them that were forcefully recruited into paramilitary and military units. Even if they signup, they may not have made an informed choice or thought carefully about their decision. They could of also took up arms in order to survive after family, social, and economic breakdowns, often after seeing their families killed or tortured by the regime's soldiers or armed groups. We should not be punishing those who are forced into combat against their
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