Argumentative Essay: Should Child Soldiers Be Given Amnesty?

Child Soldiers Should Be Given Amnesty All around the world, abandoned children are used as soldiers during war time. In countries like Colombia, any child that can hold a gun can be used as a soldier. Children are considered perfect for the job because “they are easily manipulated, intensely loyal, fearless, and most important, in endless supply,” according to Jeffrey Gettlemen’s Upfront Magazine article, “Armed and Underage.” These children are not just used because these countries need soldiers, but because they can make more. Child soldiers should be given amnesty because most have lost their families and have nowhere else to go, they are underage to be prosecuted in most countries, and they are being manipulated by commanders.. An example of these child soldiers is Ishmael Beah. He was a child soldier in Sierra Leone when he was just twelve years old. Before being a soldier, Beah had a normal life, but his whole family was killed in the war. Ishmael had nothing left and nowhere to go, so he became a child soldier. Another example from “Armed and Underage” is that “In some countries, hunger and poverty drive parents to sell their children into service” (Gettlemen).
They are being killed equally, if not more. There is evidence that “100,000 child soldiers die every year,” and “there are only around 350,000 child soldiers in the world” (“Scenarios-Child Soldiers: Invisible Children”). These children are set out to die and they do it to make their commanders happy. In Iran, children as young as 12 were used to clear minefields according to Jeffrey Gettleman’s “Armed and Underage.” One may ask why children would send themselves to die just to make their commander happy. Well this is not the only reason. The children are not doing it on their own will. In “Scenarios- Child Soldiers: Invisible Children,” the author states that child soldiers are given drugs and alcohol to make them easily