SammiHeckner

Ms.Robillard
LA8Hour5
11March2015
ChildSoldiersareVictimsWhenitComestoWar

25000to30000childrenundertheageof18areatwarfightingforthingsth\eydon'tunderstandyet
andshouldnothaveto.Childsoldiersaren'tkillingpeoplebecausetheywanttotheyaredoingit
becausetheyhavenowhereelsetogo,nothingelsetodo,theyhavenobodytosavethemfromhungry
povertyandwelldying.Childsoldiersarevictimsinwar.
SomePeoplesaythatChildSoldierscanbeathreattonationalsecurity.Oneincident,Omar
khadr[he]hadbraggedaboutkillingaU.S.soldierandheclaimedthatthedayheplantedlandmines
tokillU.S.andcoalitionforceswasthehappiestdayofhislife(Prasow).IfKhadrcameanywherenear
anyusmilitaryforceorsoldiershewouldgladlydothesamethingagainandtheU.Scouldbein
danger.
Childrenareforcedtodohorrible,awfulthings,forcedtokilltheirfamily,friendsandpeopletheysaw
aroundthereowntown.childsoldiersarevictimsbecausearetheyare
abusedphysicalandemotional.Thechildrendon'toffertokillpeopleoroffertoevenbeinthewar
theyareoftenforced.Childrenareoftenforcedintofightingandhavelittlechoiceoverwhetherornot
theyenlist(ChildSoldier,Prosecution).Thechildrenareeitherdruggedorbrainwashedtocommit
actionstheywouldn'tnormallydo.Thechildreninwarareoftendruggedintothinkingwhattheyare
doingisright.Therecruitersofchildsoldiersalsousedrugsandalcoholtomakechildrenmore
compliantandtoenablethemtocommitactstheywouldnotordinarilycommit.(ChildSoldier,
Prosecution)Thekidsmindsaren'tthinkingthesamewayasbefore,theyarechangedintothinking
whattheyaredoingisokay.Whentheyfeltlikecrying,theyhadtosuckitupandputasmileontheir

facebecausetheyweren'tallowedtoshowanyemotion.ChildSoldiershadbeenneverinanyway
allowedtoshowemotionsoranyfeelingforthemselvesortheywouldbebeatenorkilled."Emotions
weren'tallowed,"hecontinued."Forexampleanineyearoldboycriedbecausetheymissedtheir
motherandtheywereshot.(Barnett)Forshowingemotionkidsarebeingshotrightthereonthespot.
Withkidsbeingforcedtodothingsbeingdruggedintokillinghowcouldtheybepredatorsiftheydon't
knowwhattheyaredoing
Childsoldiershavenobody,theyarenobodytheyarejusttryingtosavethemselvesfromhungry
bombingandmostofalldying.Kidsveryyoungyoungas12arebeingseparatedfromtheirfamilies
livingthemhopeless.Beahwhobecameseparatedfromhisfamilyatjust12yearsoldwhenhistown
wasattacked.Beahwasseparatedat12yearsoldwhereelsecouldhego,whatelsecouldhe
do(Barnett).Thatgoesforalloftheotherkids.Kidsareeitherinthemilitaryorkilledrightthereand
then.Thesoldierswillkillyouoranyonewhotrytostruggleorgetawaywhowerenotoriousfor
hackingofflimbsandindoctrinatingchildrenintotheirstrugglefoughtgovernmentforcesandtheir
offshootsforcontrolofthediamondrichWestAfricanstate(Barnett).kidsaregettingtheirlimbscutoff
iftheystruggledorrefusedtogointothemilitary.TheChildnotknowinganybetterthoughitwouldbea
saferandhealthierpathtogo.Itmaybethatthechildthoughtitwouldbesafertoenlistorfactorssuch
aspovertyandhungerinfluencedtheirdecisionratherthanadesiretofight.Theydon'thavethedesire
tofight,theyhave.thedesiretostayalive.
WhenyouareinwarkidsseeandhearawfulthingsthatchangetheirwayofthinkingChildrendon't
havethesameunderstandingofthingsasadultsdo.BeingachildUdon'tunderstandifdecisionsare
rightorwrong.Childsoldiersrarelyhavethesameunderstandingoftheirdecisionsandactionsas
adultsandthereforeshouldnotbeheldresponsiblefortheiractions(Barnett).theyaren'tresponsible
fortheiractions.kidsseeawfulthings.TheyKidsseeawfulthingslikekillingandanythingelse"Isawa
mancarryinghissonthathadbeenshotdead,buthewastryingtorunwithhimtothehospital,"Beah
recalls(Barnett).A12yearoldboysawanotherboyprobablyyoungerthanhimgetshot,Kidsthatage
aren'tsupposedtoseethatkindofstuff.Allthethingstheyseearesotraumatizing.Anothercaseof

kidsseeinghorriblethingssuchaskillingis."(Therewasalso)thiswomanhadbeenrunningandshe
hadababythatwastiedonherback.She'dbeenrunningawayfromthefightingandthebullethad
struckthebabyandthebabyhadbeenkilled,butshedidn'tknow."(Barnett)Peoplenotknowingtheir
ownchildwasdead.Kidsseeingkillingchangedtheirbrainsintothinkingkillingistheanswer.

Childsoldiersarevictimsinwarbecausetheyareforcedtobe,theyaretryingtosave

themselvesandtheirmindthinksindifferentwaysduetowhatthesee.theyarebeatenandforcedto
dowhattheydowithoutthewar,theywouldbedeadorstarvingsittingonthestreetsbythedead
bodiesofpeopletheyknew.gSoifyouthinkchildrenaredoingthistokillthinkagain.theydon'tknow
whattodoorwhattheyaredoing