Angelina Jolie stopped by the White House and the Justice Department this week to talk with officials about the urgent need to better protect women and children experiencing violence.
The mother, filmmaker and humanitarian referred to the issue as “a health crisis” during a briefing with reporters and also held talks with Press Secretary Jen Psaki as well as a number of lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about the importance of re-authorising the Violence Against Women Act.
What is that exactly? It’s a law that’s now expired, which provided federal-level prosecution for various crimes perpetrated against women including domestic violence and sexual assault. But it also ensured support for shelters and community organisations who help women and children in crisis.
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A bill reauthorising it all was passed in the House of Representatives this year and expanded to include protections for immigrant, LGBTQ+ and Native American women and it’s yet to be passed by the Senate.
And given that 1 in 3 women experience sexual and domestic violence in the US, it’s one that’s clearly vital for the safety and wellbeing of women and children.
“Thank you to Angelina Jolie for coming in today to talk about the fight to reauthorise VAWA in the Senate and how we can help support research on diagnosing injuries from domestic violence and child abuse to help survivors,” Senator Schumer tweeted, sharing some photos from her visit.
Thank you to Angelina Jolie for coming in today to talk about the fight to reauthorize VAWA in the Senate and how we can help support research on diagnosing injuries from domestic violence and child abuse to help survivors. pic.twitter.com/PeYvmzbVVl
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 14, 2021
Jen Psaki also thanked Angelina for her “tireless” work in “continuing to fight for women, children and families around the world.”
Met briefly this morning with the tireless and committed #AngelinaJolie this morning to talk about the importance of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and the importance of continuing to fight for women, children and families around the world
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) September 15, 2021
Angelina recently announced a collaboration with Amnesty International, creating a book for children and teenagers titled Know Your Rights and Claim Them.
She’s also been using her social media platform to advocate for the women of Afghanistan.
(Feature Image Credit: via @SenSchumer/Twitter)