Angelina Jolie took a seat before the UN Security Council to speak out against rape against women in war zones. Jolie is an ambassador for the UN high commissioner for refugees, and this was the first time she appeared before the Security Council to restify.
Jolie spoke of the hundreds of thousands of women, children and men who have been raped in war zones around the world–throughout decades of warfare. She rightfully noted that the sooner the Council works to take war zone rapes seriously, the sooner it will become a priority to eliminate this problem.
You set the bar. If the… council sets rape and sexual violence in conflict as a priority it will become one and progress will be made. If you do not this
horror will continue.
In her role as an ambassador, Jolie has traveled throughout the world and shared the stories of rape survivors she has met ranging from a five year old girl in in the Congo, to a woman in Syria to boys forced to sexually assault their female family members.
After Jolie spoke, the council adopted a legally binding resolution to demand the end to all acts of sexual violence in armed conflict. They called for improved care of and assistance of survivors and to better monitoring of sexual violence in conflict areas.
Angelina Jolieimplored countries and the council to carry out the resolution as well continue to keep this issue at the forefront.
Meet your commitments, debate this issue in your parliaments, mobilise people in your countries and build it into all your foreign policy efforts. Together
you can turn the tide of global opinion, shatter impunity and finally put an end to this abhorrence.
Check out the video below of Jolie speaking to the council. She’s amazing.
Angelina Jolie urges UN to punish rape in warzones
(The Guardian)
