You are standing in the middle of a field, gun in one hand, bomb in the other. Men on each side of you are firing their guns at each other and you’re caught in the crossfire. Also, you’re 9 years old. That is the life that child soldiers are forced to live. Child soldiers are victims. These children aren’t evil, they’re just made to look that way.
One major reason that child soldiers are victims is that they’re heavily manipulated. For example, Omar Khadr--a child soldier--was manipulated by his father--an Al Qaeda leader--from a young age.“The fact that this constituted use and abuse by Khadr’s father did not seem to be important”(Prasow). As an al Qaeda leader, his father wasn’t exactly the best influence on Khadr’s life. Khadr’s father had shown his son violence from a young age, thanks to his position. But, since not everyone's father is an Al Qaeda leader, commanders need other incentives for the children to do their bidding. Commanders decided the best way to get child soldiers to do what they want is to heavily drug them with a substance that consists of cocaine and gunpowder. Even worse, the children are drugged as young as 9 years old. Over 200,000 children worldwide suffer from present or previous abuse from commanders. Aside from the drugging, they’re lied to as well. By lying to the children, the commanders are able to get what they want from them. In the face of stress, these drugged up children are told lie after lie about what would “happen” if they didn’t cooperate. “Khadr was strung up...interrogators told him a fictional story of a young man sent to an American prison who was gang-raped and died of related injuries”(Prasow). What this quote means is that Khadr--under stress--was unfairly interrogated. This shows that child soldiers are victims, because they are unfairly treated and forced to do things against their beliefs and best interest.
As their misery deepened, so did the commands they were given to follow. Some child soldiers are forced to become suicide bombers. The commanders have the opinion that child soldiers are nothing but an multitudinous supply of battle weapons. “They don’t complain, they don’t expect to be paid-- and if you tell them to kill, they kill”(Gettleman). That was said by a commander from the African nation of Chad to Human Rights watch. What the commander is attempting to articulate is that commanders felt they could use the children in any way that wanted. To add onto the fact that the commanders felt that they could do anything to these children, is that they have no choice of whether or not they have to fight. Kids are often sold to fight by their parents so the family can have enough money to survive, and some child soldiers are recruited by literal kidnapping. “Somalia’s radical Islamist insurgents are plucking children from soccer fields and turning them into fighters”(Gettleman). This quote means that the commanders would literally take what they needed, and that the children didn't have an option. The children didn't get to choose whether or not they were going to be abducted. Child soldiers are victims, because they are mistreated and abused without any thought as to what these might bring upon the children.
On the other hand, one could argue that these children are perpetrators not victims. Even though most children are forced to fight, some volunteer. Some child soldiers are willing to kill, to follow every command, and put themselves into those situations, knowing exactly what they were getting into. However, those who volunteer often wish to support their country to save the lives of loved ones. In a way they have the option, but in another way, they have to fight or their family and country will suffer greatly.
Child soldiers are not the perpetrators in their story. They have done nothing wrong. These kids are manipulated, drugged, lied to, and even those that survived are seriously damaged, both physically and mentally. They survived the harsh unfair treatment, and deserve a childhood just like the children we see in the United States.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/10/27/child-soldier-trial-guantanamo
http://www.derrickallums.com/learning/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/NYTimes_Upfront2010_10_04forclass.pdf
One major reason that child soldiers are victims is that they’re heavily manipulated. For example, Omar Khadr--a child soldier--was manipulated by his father--an Al Qaeda leader--from a young age.“The fact that this constituted use and abuse by Khadr’s father did not seem to be important”(Prasow). As an al Qaeda leader, his father wasn’t exactly the best influence on Khadr’s life. Khadr’s father had shown his son violence from a young age, thanks to his position. But, since not everyone's father is an Al Qaeda leader, commanders need other incentives for the children to do their bidding. Commanders decided the best way to get child soldiers to do what they want is to heavily drug them with a substance that consists of cocaine and gunpowder. Even worse, the children are drugged as young as 9 years old. Over 200,000 children worldwide suffer from present or previous abuse from commanders. Aside from the drugging, they’re lied to as well. By lying to the children, the commanders are able to get what they want from them. In the face of stress, these drugged up children are told lie after lie about what would “happen” if they didn’t cooperate. “Khadr was strung up...interrogators told him a fictional story of a young man sent to an American prison who was gang-raped and died of related injuries”(Prasow). What this quote means is that Khadr--under stress--was unfairly interrogated. This shows that child soldiers are victims, because they are unfairly treated and forced to do things against their beliefs and best interest.
As their misery deepened, so did the commands they were given to follow. Some child soldiers are forced to become suicide bombers. The commanders have the opinion that child soldiers are nothing but an multitudinous supply of battle weapons. “They don’t complain, they don’t expect to be paid-- and if you tell them to kill, they kill”(Gettleman). That was said by a commander from the African nation of Chad to Human Rights watch. What the commander is attempting to articulate is that commanders felt they could use the children in any way that wanted. To add onto the fact that the commanders felt that they could do anything to these children, is that they have no choice of whether or not they have to fight. Kids are often sold to fight by their parents so the family can have enough money to survive, and some child soldiers are recruited by literal kidnapping. “Somalia’s radical Islamist insurgents are plucking children from soccer fields and turning them into fighters”(Gettleman). This quote means that the commanders would literally take what they needed, and that the children didn't have an option. The children didn't get to choose whether or not they were going to be abducted. Child soldiers are victims, because they are mistreated and abused without any thought as to what these might bring upon the children.
On the other hand, one could argue that these children are perpetrators not victims. Even though most children are forced to fight, some volunteer. Some child soldiers are willing to kill, to follow every command, and put themselves into those situations, knowing exactly what they were getting into. However, those who volunteer often wish to support their country to save the lives of loved ones. In a way they have the option, but in another way, they have to fight or their family and country will suffer greatly.
Child soldiers are not the perpetrators in their story. They have done nothing wrong. These kids are manipulated, drugged, lied to, and even those that survived are seriously damaged, both physically and mentally. They survived the harsh unfair treatment, and deserve a childhood just like the children we see in the United States.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/10/27/child-soldier-trial-guantanamo
http://www.derrickallums.com/learning/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/NYTimes_Upfront2010_10_04forclass.pdf