A UNICEF child protection officer from Japan is helping child soldiers in the Central African Republic return to society and lead normal lives.
"We hope that they will return to being normal children and be allowed to play and laugh freely," Ryoko Ogawa, 35, said during an interview in Tokyo.
The African nation has been mired in conflict between Muslim and Christian armed groups until recently, with about 10,000 children under 18 forced to serve as soldiers and others falling victim to abductions. But in a hopeful development, the two sides reached a cease-fire in early May and agreed to release their child soldiers.