Child Soldier Essay

The use of children as soldiers is a terrible worldwide problem. In the world, there are more than 300,000 child soldiers. They’ve killed so many people and wounded many others. None of this is their fault. Child soldiers are victims because they don’t know where to go, and they have been traumatized and forced to fight.

Child soldiers are victims because they don’t choose to kill people. Most of them are recruited by force, and others don’t have a safe place to go to, so they feel that the army is the closest thing they have to security. Some are even sold into the army so their families could get more money for food and other necessities. Also, the society they live in teaches them that killing is a way to get rid of people you dislike, and a lot of them don’t have their own opinions about this because they have been taught to think a certain way their whole life. Child soldiers are also often given drugs by their commanders so they can kill more people, but it wasn’t their choice to take those drugs. The soldiers haven’t killed because they wanted to, they’ve killed because their commanders wanted  them to.

Child soldiers are victims because they face major hardship. Girls that work in the army are often sexually abused and raped. Many child soldiers are under the influence of harmful drugs. They have seen way more than they should have in their young age. They’ve been forced into fighting,  they watched as their loved ones died, and most likely struggled with some kind of depression, which will probably stay with them into adulthood because of the trauma they have faced. While the greatest problem many kids living in America face is a bad grade or a friendship problem, child soldiers have to worry about being killed. Some kids even younger than I am (13) are in the army. It’s makes me feel so bad for people who have been through so much and aren’t even teenagers yet. How can you punish someone who has seen so much horror at such a young age?
Child soldiers are victims because they have nowhere to go. Most of their families are either dead or don’t care about them. The army is the only place where they feel safe and like they belong, so they decide to stick with the army even if they feel that fighting is wrong because there is no other option. Many develop an unhealthy attachment to the army because it is their only place to go. The United Nations even said that children are more likely to join the army if they don’t have a family. Some people have stated that child soldiers are perpetrators because they could run away from the army. However, it’s not that easy. Even if they could escape, which is  most likely very difficult because there must be many guards around their army bases, they might not want to because they feel like the army is home. It’s a sad thought, but when you feel traumatized and alone, any organization that makes you feel like you belong in some way can become everything to you because it’s your only hope.
All in all, child soldiers are victims because they are forced into the army,  have been through  real pain and hardship there, and feel that they cannot leave because they have nowhere to go.