Boko Haram Refugees: 19-year-old Zara cradles her young daughter at a safehouse

19-year-old Zara cradles her young daughter at a safehouse. The shelter provides recovery and support for women who have suffered sexual assault, forced marriage, and other abuses at the hands of the Boko Haram.

The photographer speaks: “Zara was forced to live at the Boko Haram headquarters in the Sambisa forest when her daughter was only two months old.” Danielle Villasana

This photograph was included in the outdoor exhibition at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights: "Entitlements."

About the exhibit: As violence and inequality cause scarcity and displace populations, impacted groups are frequently discussed as data sets and given impersonal categorizations such as refugee and asylum seeker. Entitlements humanizes conflict and insecurity around the world through compelling images of children at play and at rest. Featuring the photography of Authority Collective photographers Diana Cervantes, Jasmine Clarke, Meghan Dhaliwal, Stephanie Eley, Alexis Hunley, and Danielle Villasana, Entitlements is a global survey of childhood experiences. It celebrates the resilience of children denied the just and secure environments to which they are entitled. The children embody hope and inspire an urgency to uphold rights and protections detailed in documents such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration for Human Rights.

Globally, 420 million children are living in active conflict zones. More than half of people with refugee status are children and youth. Many are victims of detention, trafficking, exploitation, and family separation. In the United States, 13 million children reside in households below the federal poverty line, and 2.5 million American children are experiencing homeless. Systemic injustices are evident in trends such as the school-to prison pipeline, a system that disproportionately refers Black children and children with learning differences to discipline by police instead of school administrators. This results in arrests and juvenile detention as opposed to counseling and educational alternatives. Outside of school, overpoliced neighborhoods render parks and playgrounds opportunities for interaction with law enforcement instead of places to learn, grow, and thrive.

Despite this, children remain incredibly resilient. From children playfully climbing trees in one of the world's most dangerous cities to displaced children skipping rope and blowing bubbles, Entitlements depicts the persistence of childhood creativity and the unwavering youthful quest for exploration. Human rights laws and declarations charge us with securing our futures by providing environments where children are not criminalized and are free to realize their potential. When children reflect and imagine, their capacities to learn and build relationships are strengthened. As they find ways to process hardship, they also develop the skills required to become our next generation of leaders, advocates, and innovators.