Omar Khadr is a child soldier accused of killing US Army Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer, a 24 year old man crying for his mother, a man threatened with rape, a man who spent his young adult life since age 15 in Guantanamo for being too dangerous. Omar Khadr is one of the many child soldiers in the world, some taken from their homes and some wanting to avenge their family. These children considered too young to fight should not be punished for their actions. They should not be considered guilty because they do not understand the consequences of their actions.
Children should not be considered guilty because they lack the mental maturity of an adult. Due to this children don’t often think of the consequences of their actions. Child Soldiers are often given drugs, supplies, and shelter so that once the children become dependent on their superiors it is difficult to leave.Children are our future accepting the use of our children in conflict is like accepting the destruction of our future. Therefore child soldiers should not persecuted as if they were adults. A less obvious reason child soldiers are used is because they can be easily intimidated and controlled. For example, Omar Khadr was seriously wounded in the firefight that got him captured. He got 2 shots in the chest and became half blind in one eye. Khadr was also interrogated while on drugs from his surgery, which could have impaired his judgement. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled Khadr’s charter rights were violated when Canadian officials participated in Guantanamo’s abuses by interrogating Khadr after weeks of sleep deprivation. While some may claim that evidence is evidence and that Omar Khadr is an endangerment to society because of what he said, he may not have been right in mind as he was on medications from his surgery and sleep deprived. This shows child soldiers should be treated as children not adults. Therefore while a single child soldier may be violent, it is due to being immature, and unknowing. While a child is violent, they would not understand the consequences in the future as seen with Omar Khadr, who has spent his whole young adult life in prison for something done as a reckless youth. The U.S. was the first country to keep an adult imprisoned for crimes done as a minor and it should be the last.
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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King jr. both were iconic civil right movement activists. However, Malcolm X and Martin Luther had different perspectives on how to go about the movements. While Malcolm X would rather have a war or revolution to get his rights Martin Luther King jr. was more peaceful about his protests.
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AuthorCloee Kunstek Archives
March 2017
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