Child Soldier Essay

In the present day, at least 25 countries or more use children as their pawns. These kids are turned into fighting machines at a very young age. Child Soldiers don’t deserve the treatment they get. Children are supposed to love not kill.
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”-Plato

Leaders of war only use child soldiers for personal gain. “Children are often considered the perfect weapon.” These leaders do not consider these children to be helpless or misfortunate. They don’t care about these kids well being. All they care about is keeping extra cash in their pockets. “The children don’t get paid.” Child soldiers work very hard and aren’t rewarded for their effort. These children are put through much effort, and have nothing to look forward to.


Child soldiers get robbed of their childhood. “The rebels came and attacked us. They killed my mother and father in front of my eyes. I was 10 years old. They took me with them.” At a very young age the life of these children are changed drastically. Both Parents are killed while the child watches and horror. Then he/ she are forced into fighting in the war with that very memory scarred in their brain. The damage that can do to a person is incredible. “Killing became a normality for them”
Eventually these children are psychologically trained to kill people. They must kill, or be killed.  These kids are drugged so that they won’t feel pain in battle.

Even after they are grown up they can’t adjust to a normal life. “They suffered long term trauma.” These kids have been put through much suffering, they have seen the deaths of many people, and have also killed people themselves. Their psychological state is probably damaged considering the pain they must have caused and went through. “They get trapped in the circle of war no matter where they go.” The children could try to escape, but they would get killed. No matter what they did, there would be no escape. It was like a jail, and the cell was closed shut.

Child soldiers are forced to fight. There is nothing they can do. “The first time I killed someone, I got so sick, I thought I was going to die. But I got better.” These children don’t wanna fight. They want to live a normal life, but the warlords don’t care. All they care for is money and power. The kids have no say in anything. The life of child soldiers is not easy at all.


These children are treated unjustly and unfairly. These kids shouldn't be put through all of this trouble. They deserve the chance to be a child and not a slave of war. Kids these days, don’t realize how much easier their lives are than the kids out in war.