Twelve-year-old “S.K.” can’t remember how old he was when captured by rebel fighters in his village. For several years, he was made to work as a scout for the rebels and to gather looted items after raids on villages. Eventually, S.K. was caught near a checkpoint by soldiers from the West African Peacekeeping Force. His release was negotiated by a priest who founded a local NGO several miles south of Freetown.

This photograph was taken in the stadium where the parade to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.N.’s “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” ended. Ironically, within a matter of weeks after this celebration, the stadium was once again filled, this time with local Sierra Leoneans seeking refuge from the carnage that ensued after rebel forces entered the capital.