Fighting children in wars...

[Autumnleaf]

What are the moral implications of fighting a war in which children of one side or another are armed combatants. ie In Afghanistan some children are armed and ready to shoot American invaders.

 

[Yusuf Evans]

I don't believe the moral implications of fighting children is as much on the head of the enemy, as it is of the adults who put the weapons in the kids' hands.

 

[ReverendDG]

i think its sad they do this, but aren't they combatants in the end?
from my understanding the populations of those countries are largely young to begin with

is it immoral? yes if you believe war is immoral and wrong, the combatants shouldn't matter. killing at all is the issue.

otoh if you believe this war is right, you can believe that a person who takes up arms against you is a target so how old they are doesn't matter

the fact is, the families put the guns in the kids hands and teach them to kill people, i don't think you can blame people who end up killing the child, its not remotely up to the enemy who they fight

 

[quatona]

I find war unacceptable. The fact that children are involved wouldn´t make it any more acceptable.

 

[cantata]

Many soldiers have diminished responsibility, on both sides of the fence. It's one of the things that makes war so horrific.

 

[quatona]

responsibility

Ahem....

Btw., cantata, your response in the "eternity" thread still hasn´t passed censorship. You must have said some really bad things.

 

[cantata]

Ahem....

Yes yes, I know - I use moral language when I don't really mean it. But I was trying to approach these folks on their own terms This thread is about an IS IT MORAL question, and it gets a bit dull, saying "I don't know what you mean" all the time

Btw., cantata, your response in the "eternity" thread still hasn´t passed censorship. You must have said some really bad things.

:O

I dunno what happened, it was really weird! Oh gods, I dunno if I can find the energy to write it all again >_<

 

[lawtonfogle]

I don't think to many, who have actually been on the battlefield, are concerned who is shooting at them, only that they are being shot at. At the same time, it does mean you have a repress parental instinct, but then, war already makes you do so many other things...

 

[FaithLikeARock]

I'm with quatona. I would even venture to say that this probably makes war even worse than it already was in my mind.

 

[Isambard]

Eh, seems like a self-imposed eugenics program so Im on the fence considering who the parents are.

 

[jayem]

Historically, it's been a tactic of desperation. In general, early adolescents or even younger children were armed when all other forces had been depleted. In 1864, the Confederates sent mainly boys and old men against the Union army at Griswoldville, GA as a last ditch effort to stop Sherman. And Hitler was arming boys in defense of Berlin at the end. It's very sad. But it certainly sinks to an even lower level when children are preferentially trained for suicide missions, since they may be seen as less threatening. What can you say--war is hell.

 

[wanderingone]

Eh, seems like a self-imposed eugenics program so Im on the fence considering who the parents are.

In many (if not most) places where child soldiers are used the parents have not volunteered their children- some children have been forced to kill or maim their own parents. If the army (official or rebel) comes along and snatches your children up with a gun to your head I'm not sure how you stop them.
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The use of children indicates to me an even more corrupt battle. Turning the hearts and minds of young adult soldiers is easy and damaging enough... twisting those of 11 year olds easily can destroy a people for generations.

A couple years ago I worked with people who were serving a particular refugee community in NY. Numerous former child soldiers were involved. there were several problems with getting them help, the primary one being that they hadn't been free to disclose their status as former child soldiers prior to getting to the US or they may not have been granted permission to enter.

These were kids who had raped and tortured others and we proceeded to plunk them down in struggling middle schools dealing with the usual mix of urban poverty problems - if we think American kids raised in a gang culture have trouble dealing with conflict toss in some kids who were raised on torture and destruction and you have a middle school that might just live up to the stereotyped "ghetto" schools depicted in on TV.