“When I was 8 years old, my parents paid a smuggler to take me across the Himalayas, a weekslong walk over the mountains from Tibet to India. It was a trek that tens of thousands of other Tibetans have taken since the Dalai Lama fled a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. My parents must have had their reasons to send me here; they must have had the best of intentions. But 18 years later, I still don't know why they did it. They are not political people. They are small farmers who raise barley and a few yak in a rural area not far from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. I have not seen them since I left...”. – Tsering Topgyal via The Associated Press. (Photo by Tsering Topgyal/AP Photo)

A handout photo made available by the World Press Photo (WPP) organization on 13 February 2017 shows a picture by Rossiya Segodnya photographer Valery Melnikov that won the Long-Term Projects – First Prize award of the 60th annual World Press Photo Contest, it was announced by the WPP Foundation in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 13 February 2017. Caption: Civilians escape from a fire at a house destroyed by an air attack in the Luhanskaya village. (Photo by Valery Melnikov/EPA/Rossiya Segodnya/World Press Photo)

Filipino children play at a fishing village along the coast of Manila Bay, Philippines, 30 May 2023. As a precaution of approaching Typhoon Mawar, Philippine government authorities have evacuated thousands of residents, imposed a no-sail ban, suspended school classes, and shutdown offices in the northern part of Luzon island, the country's largest and most populous island. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Aerial view of villagers drying chili peppers at a rural cooperative on August 21, 2024 in Bozhou, Anhui Province of China. (Photo by Yang Zhongqin/VCG via Getty Images)

Rosanna Davison attends the “Lambertz Monday Night” at Alter Wartesaal on February 1, 2012 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

A model poses for a picture during the 20th World Bodypainting Festival 2017 on July 28, 2017 in Klagenfurt, Austria. (Photo by Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)

Local villagers fall onto the ground from an ox-cart as they ride to rid evil spirits from their village at Pring Ka-ek village, Cambodi. (Photo by Heng Sinith/AP Photo)

Participants in fancy costumes take part in march during the Prague Pride parade in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, 10 August 2019. Several thousands of people attended the 9th Prague Pride to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) communities. (Photo by Martin Divisek/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)