In many parts of the world, children are being abused, acting as puppets, and getting manipulated by disastrous groups such as ISIS without their consent. They are frequently forced to do things that they don’t want to do. Moreover, they should be considered victims because they are not mature enough to build a strong perception of the seriousness of violence. Their fragile mentality of a youth disables them to think logically in the chaos that they are put in. Therefore, these child soldiers should be given amnesty––a chance to rehabilitate.

Child soldiers are forced into fighting regardless of their opinions. This statement is evidently shown from the interview with Ishmael Beah, a former soldier who was active in his childhood. He shared his experience of being put into Sierra Leone's fierce civil war: “they pressed me into this war, forcefully trained me to basically learn how to use the AK-47” (Beah, 2007). Commanders who brought children into the war not only threatened them to kill others and commit war crimes, but even pressured children to adapt to the brutal environment. The military commander from the African nation of Chad admitted that they manipulated the young kids for their own benefit. He said to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) that “Child soldiers are ideal. They don’t complain, they don’t expect to be paid - and if you tell them to kill, they kill.” Unlike adults, who expect things in return, children do not want or expect to get compensated in situations where they feel scared and afraid. They just follow adults’ orders because they are the only people that the kids can rely on. Furthermore, the military forcefully fed children drugs and alcohol, making them more compliant, enabling them to commit atrocities that they have never done before. Thus, the children soldiers should not be given the consequences for actions they did not intend. It is the ones who commanded and controlled them in inhumane ways that we should blame for making them do such brutal and vicious acts.

Most kids do not get exposed to violence during their childhood, and the lack of experience and exposure leads to the dismantlement of perceptions that violence should not be done. These kids who hold guns and kill people in their teenage years did not live enough to realize how dreadful violence is. Using them to kill others is such an immoral act since children are like blank papers. A droplet of paint can change the entire color of the paper. Ishmael stated that adults gave drugs to child soldiers to escape from the trauma, and as they became more and more addicted to the drugs, they were convinced that killing people is just a part of their life and reality. Although giving drugs to children might just be a mere action from the adult’s perspective, it can significantly affect the children and guide them in the wrong way. Furthermore, the absence of great advocates such as family guides child soldiers to be insecure. Ishmael Beah, who lost all his family at the age of twelve,described the situation: “I was devastated, I didn’t know what to do with my life.” Like Ishmael, young soldiers will go through depression and deprivation of love, yet every child needs love as they grow up. Therefore, it is necessary that these child soldiers be treated with care and love and be taught what they had done wrong.


Some might argue that there are soldiers that join the army voluntarily. For example, Omar Kadr, a child soldier who pleaded guilty in a military commission to five charges, including murder in violation of the laws of war for the killing of a U.S. Army Sergeant joined al Qaeda, a terrorist organization. His decision was affected by suggestions from his father, an Al Qaeda leader, who took Omar to visit the military training camp several times.. Unlike the extreme example from Omar, most child soldiers lose their families during wars. Without their parents, children do not know what to do and feel extremely insecure. Seeking safety and attempting to take care of them,wandering around the battlefield, they will eventually find a military base, which, from the children’s perspective, is the only place that will keep them safe from gunshots. However, after joining the military with consent, they are forced to fight in the war. Therefore it cannot be said that children commit crimes of their own will.

Overall, Child soldiers should be given amnesty for a variety of reasons. They are forced to fight in the war because commanders take advantage of the nature of kids - not demanding rewards for what they do. It is forbidden to feed drugs to others forcefully and order them to do things, but that is what these relentless adults do to children. Moreover, these children did not live long enough to realize that violence is bad, meaning that they are committing crimes without knowing the severity. The people who are supposed to help and inform these children about the consequences of violent acts,parents, are what many child soldiers don’t have. Therefore, it is our duty as parents to educate children in the right way to let them adapt to society instead of blaming them for killing people. It is true that these children who commit violence again after their second chance should be punished. However, they should first be given an amnesty to acknowledge their mistakes and to further contribute to society.