Jaffar and Abdullah are only teenagers, but they’ve already been to war, fighting alongside ISIS-allied militants in the southern Philippines. It wasn’t their choice. The teens were sold by their relatives to the Abu Sayyaf extremist group. «I was meant to kill,» says 14-year-old Jaffar, sold to terrorists by his own father for just under $450. Boys like Jaffar and Abdullah are sent to training camps for physical training and to learn how to use weapons. They were prepared to engage in combat, or simply become human shields, suicide bombers, or organ donors. The teens, who managed to run away amid the mayhem, relive their memories and describe the trauma they’ve gone through.
Crisis Childhood
