Why Should Children Should Not Be Soldiers?

Imagine you are a 12-year-old child in the African nation of Somalia, and instead of going to school or being at home, you are holding a gun next to a bunch of other young boys who were also forced to work with you. Your family sent you here because you guys are in poverty and don’t have enough money to support you so they flee and you are forced to work in the military. Children should not be forced to work in the military because it is not like they want to do it, they are forced and because it is not suited for them. Some people may disagree and say that children should become soldiers. In essence children should not be child soldiers because they can risk their lives and can die from being sexually abused and they are forced to so they …show more content…
In fact, Gettleman writes, "Awil struggles to carry his. It weighs about 10 pounds. The strap digs into his bony shoulders, and he is constantly shifting it from one side to the other with a grimace." In essence this piece of evidence supports the fact that children should not become soldiers because it is not suitable for them because the boy in the story, Awil, can barely carry his and he has to keep switching sides which may slow him down and can also risk him getting hurt. The last piece of evidence Gettleman writes states, "'He should be in school,' says Awil's commander, Abdisalam Abdullahi. 'But there is no school.' This piece of evidence supports the fact that children becoming soldiers is not suitable for them because the children aren't able to have an education which is not suitable because they will not have as many opportunities as a kid who does have an education. Nevertheless children risk their lives being forced to serve for their country, even if they don’t want …show more content…
Gettleman writes, "In some countries, hunger and poverty drive parents to sell their children into service" Because of all of these problems that are going on at home like poverty, the parents have no choice but to send their children into service. This goes back to them not having a say in whether they want to serve or not. Another piece of evidence, Gettleman writes states, "In much of the world, particularly in unstable countries, when conflict breaks out, children are quickly swept up." This also supports the fact they shouldn't be there because they are forced because of the evidence it says that they are quickly swept up and that means that they suddenly have to leave behind everything like family and friends. The children are forced to go without hesitation. The last piece of evidence Gettleman writes is, "The war has left him, like many other children here, hard beyond his years. He was abandoned by parents who fled to Yemen, he says, and joined a militia when he was about 7." This piece of evidence supports the fact he was forced to serve because he had no other support system, his parents left him at a young age so he had no choice but to enter. Overall children should not be soldiers because they are basically forced to and they have no say in