‘We need a powerful moral force’: Angelina Jolie urges 24 religious leaders from around the world for unity to combat ISIS during London meeting
She went to London to help open the Center For Peace And Security at the London School Of Economics on Tuesday.
But the day before Angelina Jolie met with 24 religious leaders at the Lancaster House in London with the collaboration of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
‘We need a powerful moral force,’ the 39-year-old Unbroken director told the room as she wore a black dress and blazer, and had her hair pulled back in clips.
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She knows her stuff: Angelina Jolie met with 24 religious leaders at the Lancaster House in London with the collaboration of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on Monday
‘Most conflict today takes place within states, not between them,’ the Salt star said.
‘An estimated 90% of all casualties are women and children and rape is a favored military tactic we seem unable to prevent or punish,’ Jolie continued.
‘I recently returned from northern Iraq, where women and girls are systematically targeted by armed groups, including ISIS.’
Busy star: The actress is pictured the following day to help open the Center For Peace And Security at the London School Of Economics
The Maleficent actress met with religious leaders from the Democratic Republic Of Congo, Nepal, Iraq and South Sudan as well as the Archbishop Of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and former British Foreign Secretary, William Hague.
The wife of Brad Pitt also talked about how faith groups can play a part in bringing an end to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
‘The intensity and brutality of the sexual violence is terrifying. It is premeditated, organized, and brazen,’ the Oscar winner added.
A mother as well: The Maleficent actress, pictured on Wednesday with her twins Vivienne and Knox, aged five, met with religious leaders from the Democratic Republic Of Congo, Nepal, Iraq and South Sudan as well as the Archbishop Of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and former British Foreign Secretary, William Hague
The Vogue cover girl asked that these leaders help raise awareness of sexual violence and the harm that it causes. She also expressed the importance of rape victims not feeling and stigma about the crime.
Jolie urged the leaders to unite for the ‘powerful moral force.’
The mother of six added, ‘This is violence that respects and spares no one, of any religion or ethnicity. It is fueled by impunity.’
Her husband: The movie star, whose next film is By The Sea with Brad Pitt, is seen with her spouse at the Golden Globe Awards in 2012
‘It often involves surrounding villages, separating out and killing men, busing out the girls to be sold into slavery and torture. . . For all our advances, the mass rape of women and children and men is still seldom punished, and still carries little or no risk to the perpetrators,’ the Mr And Mrs Smith actress added.
She continued: ‘The tragedy is that this issue hardly features in discussions about our strategy towards defeating ISIL, ending conflict in Syria, and stabilising Iraq. Yet it is vital to our success; and so I asking your help in highlighting around the world the injustice and the urgency, the urgency of the situation.’
Her next film is the drama By The Sea with Pitt. She stars in and directs.
Arriving with her youngest: Mrs Pitt with the twins on Saturday at the airport in London
