Zainab [NAME CHANGED], 16, stands in a UNICEF-assisted transit centre for recently released former child soldiers, in the town of N’dele, capital of the northern Bamingui-Bangoran Prefecture in Central African Republic. Wanting to avenge the death of her fiancé, Zainab joined an armed group but, once recruited, was frequently sexually abused by male soldiers. She is now recovering at the centre, where she receives basic business training to pursue her dream of owning a restaurant. “All she talks about is going back home,” said a child protection specialist who works at the centre.
© UNICEF/Brian Sokol