Angelina Jolie Condemns Sexual Violence in an Emotion-Filled Speech at a UN Conference
Angelina Jolie recently spoke out against sexual violence in a United Nations conference.
On Wednesday, Angelina Jolie was in Vancouver to attend the United Nations Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial Conference where she gave a keynote address. As she took the stage, the actress went on to condemn one of the most prevalent issues of today: sexual violence.
"Sexual violence is everywhere – in the industry where I work, in business, in universities, in politics, in the military, and across the world," she said. "All too often, these kinds of crimes against women are laughed off, depicted as a minor offense by someone who cannot control themselves, as an illness, or as some kind of exaggerated sexual need," Jolie added.
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According to the Oscar-winning actress, sexual violence is often ignored or laughed off and that is just a minor offense done by those who have no control over themselves. Additionally, according to her, "a man who mistreats women is not oversexed, he is abusive."
Jolie, who is a Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had also criticized the world leaders explaining that even if people start to realize how sexual violence as a crime, there will still be those who think that nothing can be done regarding the matter. She emphasized that while the road to recognizing sexual violence is hard, it is still possible because of the laws and the many processes of today's society. According to Jolie, the only thing that is lacking is the political will.
Her speech and condemnation of the sexual violence against women came after the Harvey Weinstein scandal brought light to the issue. Several women had come forward accusing the disgraced producer of sexually assaulting them and as it so happens, Jolie herself has had an unfortunate experience with Weinstein.
She said Weinstein had made several unwanted advances towards her in a hotel room in 1998 at the time the film "Playing By Heart" was released. This event caused her to refrain from working with the producer ever again.
