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podcast.

This is the BBC World Service and you're listening to Sierra Leone's Children of

War. My name's Caroline Erby. I'm a photographer from the UK. In 2002 I

travelled to Sierra Leone to take pictures of children who'd been swept up in

the country's decade-long civil war. This is Rebecca. It's been 20 years

since I last saw her but I recognise her straight away.

Your face is fake. Such a gorgeous face.

When Rebecca was four years old the Revolutionary United Front or RUF attacked

her village. In the chaos that followed she was separated from her parents. The

RUF was renowned for recruiting children as soldiers. John Palais was a child

refugee during the war and now works for the International Rescue Committee or

IRC. The charity helped reunify children with their families in the

aftermath of the war.

They thought that children had no idea to think can I kill this? You know, do I

think of left and right? They never had the idea. That's number one. Number two,

the rebels used the children to go in front so that when all the forces

see them they don't just shoot at them. Once they attempt to come closer to them

I don't want to kill you here and there and they will be firing. They'll be using

the gun. That's how this war is often remembered. Images of young children

...