“Only children pay the price of war. What is more important than the dangers we face during our coverage of wars and conflicts, there are stories to tell. I have seen my colleagues die in front of me, children who lose their parents, and parents who lose their children. Every picture has a story that I have sought to document. And tell it to me. ''
Thus, the international photographer Afshin Ismaili began his speech during a session titled “Searching for Stories in Conflict Zones” in “Exposure”.
"Thomas is an Azidi child who was kidnapped by ISIS murder gangs and brainwashed to be a suicide project," Ismaili said. "Thomas lived on a pill that went through one day for months. One day, he wore an explosive vest to blow himself up in a crowd of fighters. He took it away and fled under the bombardment. He realized, with his young years, that what he was doing was hurting others.
Afshin Ismaili concluded by saying: "Do not help me, I do not want any body or organization to adopt my work, just want to pay attention to these children and care, and help them, because they do not guilty in all this horrible scene, they just pay for what others have done in this the crime".