Absolument Jolie

Exclusive video: Angelina Jolie shares a moving message to mark 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre

Details: Published on Monday, 13 July 2020 05:34; Written by Harper's Bazaar

'Your generation can resist this, and it already is. This gives me hope." This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre; the genocide of over 8,000 Bosniaks around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War in July 1995.In memory of those who lost their lives - primarily boys and men - and the loved ones left behind, Angelina Jolie has recorded a moving message of hope for the young people who live in the region."I’m thinking today of the mothers of Srebrenica, and all the other survivors, whose husbands, brothers, sons were murdered in the genocide 25 years ago," she says. "I think too of the victims, in particular the children, who were denied the chance to live and love and have families of their own. It is a loss beyond words." Jolie, who is an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and a recipient of the Heart of Sarajevo award - presented to her for "active engagement in the complexities of the real world" back in 2011 - goes on to say that she wants to address the young people who live in the region and beyond. "You were not born when the Srebrenica massacre happened. You might wonder what it has to do with you. But the kind of hatred that led to Srebrenica still exists, as you know," she says."It lives on wherever people find excuses to single out others and deny them their rights as equal human beings. You may know this better than me."Srebrenica was a crime that did not happen overnight. It could have been prevented, even down to the last few hours." She finishes her message by calling for those listening to reject discrimination and propaganda, and to share a vision of a world based on equal rights."Your generation can resist this, and it already is. This gives me hope," she says."That is the best way we can honour the families we remember today; and the victims of persecution everywhere, with whom we can be proud to stand." Jolie chose the Bosnian War as the setting for her first film as a director, In the Land of Blood and Honey, which was released in December 2011.She has also visited Bosnia as a goodwill ambassador for the UN's refugee agency UNHCR and has funded the construction of several houses for returnees in eastern Bosnia.Watch her video message in full, above.

source : Harper's Bazaar

Angelina Jolie urges Americans to address oppression as 'one fight' that goes beyond borders...in new essay penned for TIME magazine

Details: Published on Saturday, 20 June 2020 12:49; Written by Daily mail

In a new essay penned for TIME magazine on Thursday, Angelina Jolie urged Americans to view the ongoing fight for 'human rights and equality' as 'one fight' taking place across the world. 'As the burning injustice of discrimination and racism in America bursts to the forefront, we must also address persecution and oppression rising globally, depriving millions of their rights, their liberty and their physical safety,' began the 45-year-old actress.Jolie - who is special envoy for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees - revealed that 'nearly 80million' people globally 'have been forced from their homes by extreme persecution and violence, and are living as refugees.' The data, which was published by the U.N. Refugee Agency, is considered 'the highest number since records began, according to available data.''For the first time, forced displacement is affecting more than one percent of humanity, or 1 in every 97 people.'These are people fleeing attacks on schools and hospitals, mass sexual violence, the siege and starvation of whole cities, the murderous oppression of terrorist groups, and decades of institutionalized persecution based on religion, gender or sexuality,' wrote the Mr. And Mrs. Smith star. Jolie marveled at the fact that 'global displacement has almost doubled since 2010' and that 'more people are being forced to leave their homes on a larger scale in more places and at one of the fastest rates in living memory.' As to why the numbers have increased so rapidly, Angelina believes that the economic crash in 2008 'fueled hardship and anger and discontent' globally, which has led to a warped view of refugees. '...Refugees are often regarded as a burden, greeted with xenophobia and racism, and denigrated and dehumanized in politics and the media,' explained Angelina.
She went on to slam nations for not 'regarding human displacement as a temporary, man-made phenomenon we have the power to influence.''But from my personal experience the vast majority of refugees want to return home, and would do so, if their home countries were stable.'Working to solve the conflict in any one of the top five refugee producing countries, from Syria to Myanmar, would bring the overall number of displaced people down by millions.'She called out the United States for being 'quick to criticize the human rights records of adversaries' while staying silent 'when conflicts creating displacement and misery involve our allies.' 'When we start to pick and choose which countries or peoples we help, from our humanitarian assistance to our asylum policies, we ourselves are discriminating: assigning different levels of importance to different peoples, races, religions and ethnicities, violating the fundamental principle that we are all born equal.' Angelina believes that 'Americans are not taught enough to respect and admire the cultures and contributions of countries with histories far longer than our own.'And that without this 'deep understanding' of global cultures, Americans cannot 'have a truly deep understanding of [their] own history, and the acts [their] country was built upon.' 'What has become clear to me through my work is that the fight for human rights and equality is universal. It is one fight, wherever we live, and however different our circumstances might be.'There is a dividing line running across our world between those who have rights and freedom and those who do not. Who we choose to stand with, and how much we are prepared to change and to fight, should not stop at our borders,' she concluded.

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie has urged Congress to help families struggling for food during COVID-19: 'Many of these children are going hungry'

Details: Published on Tuesday, 05 May 2020 15:34; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie has urged Congress to help families struggling for food.The Maleficent star has called for senior politicians to increase food stamp benefits for families across the United States in a bid to help them amidst the current coronavirus pandemic.'Many of the most vulnerable children in America have missed nearly 740 million meals at school, due to closure resulting from the rapid spread of coronavirus. With parents facing lost jobs and wages, many of these children are going hungry,' she said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.'While strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not alleviate all of the challenges low-income families are facing during the public health emergency, it will help ensure that fewer children go to bed hungry in our country.' It comes after Angelina penned an article about the increase in child abuse amidst the pandemic.Writing in an op-ed, she said: 'Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children. 'There are already reports of a surge in domestic violence around the world, including violent killings,' said the ex-wife of Brad Pitt.'It comes at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative's house that provide an escape from their abusive environment.'COVID-19 has cut children off from their friends, their regular schooling and their freedom of movement. 'With well over a billion young people living under lockdown worldwide, there has been a lot of focus on how to prevent children missing out on their education, as well as how to lift their spirits and keep them joyful in isolation.'This comes after she said it was 'impossible' to be a 'perfect' parent.
The 'star has Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 13, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11, with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, and has said parenting her children during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has taught her it's not possible to 'answer all needs' all the time.She said: 'Now, in the midst of this pandemic, I think of all the mothers and fathers with children at home. All hoping they can do everything right, answer all needs, and stay calm and positive. One thing that has helped me is to know that's impossible.'Angelina insisted children 'don't want' their parents to be 'perfect', as long as they can be 'honest' about their mistakes.She added: 'It is a lovely thing to discover that your children don't want you perfect. They just want you honest. And doing your best. In fact, the more room they have to be great where you are weak, the stronger they may become. They love you. They want to help you. So in the end, it's the team you build. And in a way, they are raising you up too. You grow together.'The 44-year-old star also reflected on her 'decision to become a parent' when she adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, and said it 'wasn't hard' to 'dedicate' her life to another human being.Writing in TIME magazine's Parents newsletter, she said: 'I remember the decision to become a parent. It wasn't hard to love. It wasn't hard to dedicate myself to someone and something greater than my life. What was hard was knowing that from now on I needed to be the one to make sure everything was OK. To manage it and make it work. From food to school to medical. Whatever would come. And to be patient.'I realized I stopped my constant daydreaming, instead staying always ready for any break into what I was doing or thinking to answer a need. It was a new skill to acquire.'

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie pens op-ed about the increase in child abuse during coronavirus isolation

Details: Published on Tuesday, 14 April 2020 05:22; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie outlined how children are at risk of abuse while isolated at home during the coronavirus pandemic in an op-ed published Thursday by Time magazine.The 44-year-old actress and activist noted that children may be 'especially vulnerable' to the pandemic's 'secondary' effects, even though they're more resistant to its physical symptoms.'Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children,' wrote Jolie. She explained that many children may be at a greater risk of experiencing domestic abuse amid shelter-in-place orders and economic insecurity.Jolie noted that 'lockdowns and stay at home orders have resulted in job losses and economic insecurity, increasing stress, pressure and uncertainty for many families,' and that 'stress at home increases the risk of domestic violence.'She also noted stories of increasing domestic violence throughout the world as people are forced to stay inside together. The effects of the pandemic can be particularly unfortunate for children because it comes 'at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative's house that provide an escape from their abusive environment,' she added.Many lower income children depend on their schools to provide meals throughout the day, but they're also 'a lifeline of opportunity as well as a shield, offering protection ... from violence, exploitation and other difficult circumstances, including sexual exploitation, forced marriage and child labor and domestic violence.
'It's not just that children have lost support networks,' Jolie continued. 'Lockdown also means fewer adult eyes on their situation. In child abuse cases, Child Protective Services are most often called by third parties such as teachers, guidance counselors, after school program coordinators and coaches.'The humanitarian and actress gave her readers some clear-cut steps they could follow to make sure that children were safe, including to 'make a point of calling family or friends, particularly where we might have concerns that someone is vulnerable.'She also urged readers to become familiar with the signs of domestic abuse so as to spot them more easily and to support local domestic violence shelters.'It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child,' Jolie wrote. 'It will take an effort by the whole of our country to give children the protection and care they deserve.' Jolie has long used her fame for good. Last month, she donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to distribute food to children who previously depended on meals at school. The mother of six is also working with UNESCO on efforts to make online learning more accessible for children quarantined across the globe.

source : Daily mail

Angelina Jolie Donates $200,000 to NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Details: Published on Sunday, 07 June 2020 09:03; Written by Harper's Bazaar

The actress made the donation ahead of her 45th birthday. Angelina Jolie is known for her generous philanthropy, and she made no exception as she rang in her 45th birthday yesterday.Per People, the actress reportedly donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund ahead of her birthday, which she spent celebrating at home with her six children, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt. Jolie's donation is the latest in a slew of celebrity contributions to Black resistance causes and organizations following the May 25 murder of George Floyd and ongoing protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country. "Rights don't belong to any one group to give to another. Discrimination and impunity cannot be tolerated, explained away or justified. I hope we can come together as Americans to address the deep structural wrongs in our society," said Jolie in a statement. "I stand with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in their fight for racial equality, social justice, and their call for urgent legislative reform." According to People, Jolie spent her birthday at home with family due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and made Zoom calls with friends and colleagues throughout the day. In addition to her NAACP donation, Jolie donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to help feed youth affected by the global pandemic.

source : Harper's Bazaar

Angelina Jolie implores people to 'check in with each other' and 'love each other' during the coronavirus outbreak

Details: Published on Wednesday, 15 April 2020 05:28; Written by Daily mail

While the world self-isolates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Angelina Jolie discussed how important it is to check in on each other.The 44-year-old actress and Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spoke with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris in a video conference for Time, where she is also a contributing editor.With stay-at-home orders in place in almost every state in the country, both Harris said it was important both to maintain those orders, but also to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones. 'I think it is so important that people hear that,' Jolie said. 'To love each other, check in with each other.'She added, 'Be there, be a support group, keep your eyes open whether you are a teacher or a friend.' 'I really do hope people hear this, and they do reach out, and they do pay more attention, and they are not sitting in a moment when they think, "Well maybe, but it’s not my business,"' she continued.The actress added that because kids aren't going to school right now 'teachers can’t see the bruises and people aren’t identifying what is happening within some homes.'Harris also asked Jolie what motivates the actress to, 'continue to stand as a witness and to not look away,' and also what she does for 'self-care.'Jolie said there was, 'a time in my life when I became more aware of what was happening around the world,' and she started to 'open up' and hope she was 'being useful.' She added that she used to write in a journal a lot and that she was crying all the time, but she met a grandmother who saw her crying and told her, 'I don't need you to cry. I need you to help me,' which motivated her to help. Burke-Harris was named the first ever Surgeon General of the state of California by Governor Gavin Newsom in January 2019.She revealed that California has been the first state in the country to do, 'broad scale training' for primary care doctors to do 'routine screening for trauma.' 'All of the research shows that the single most powerful antidote to the impacts of trauma and adversity is nurturing, caring relationships with others — safe, stable and nurturing relationships.”The surgeon general also pointed out it was important to believe victims of domestic violence, saying, “All you have to do is be there for a person. All you have to do is believe them when a victim comes forward.”'You don’t have to fix it, you don’t have to solve it. You don’t have to worry about not being enough,;' Burke Harris said. 'You just have to be willing to be there and listen and to be that shoulder and those open arms.'

source : Daily mail

'We want to help kids learn from each other's experiences': Angelina Jolie lends her support to new BBC My World: Coronavirus educational content for young people

Details: Published on Wednesday, 01 April 2020 18:28; Written by Daily mail

Angelina Jolie has lent her support to the new BBC My World: Coronavirus content designed to educate young people about the pandemic. The Oscar-winning actress, 44, who is an executive producer on the programme, gave a statement on the new content which is set to be released on the BBC My World YouTube channel in the coming weeks.The new content will include vlogs and experiences from young people in lockdown around the world, tips and coping strategies for home education and young people's questions put to BBC experts, particularly on health.The Maleficent star said: 'Children have not been out of school on this scale since the Second World War. 'This is something that throughout their lifetimes, they will remember. It is something that older generations, for all their other reference points, have not experienced. 'The way children go through this time - from the tools and information they can access to the ways they can communicate to and help each other - will be unique to their generation. 'We want to help kids to have access to trusted content and tools that will be useful to them during the pandemic: including helping them to seek out fact-based and reliable news, question the information they receive, and learn from each other's experiences.' The new content will also be distributed across the BBC's global platforms including 42 language services. BBC My World is a global show for young audiences produced by the BBC World Service which launched in January 2020. It provide facts and information for young people to make up their own minds about international issues and is presented by Radzi Chinyanganya and Nomia Iqbal. This follows on from a coronavirus special episode which aired at the weekend. BBC World Service Group director Jamie Angus said: 'This is an unprecedented situation; so many school age children and young people are now out of schools, but the need has never been greater for them to have access to trusted and accessible information about coronavirus, and for educators to use that content in remote learning. 'The BBC World Service will bring its ability to report the truly global scale of this challenge, into creating meaningful and relevant content for our young audiences. 'We will be reaching out to young people from across the globe, hearing about their experiences, and sharing the information they need to live healthy and productive lives during this difficult time. 'Continuing production of this successful programme feels like the right thing to do in the circumstances.' The BBC will also be sharing this content with UNESCO'S Global Education Coalition, a new website providing remote educational content to kids in lockdown around the world.
Angelina recently did her bit to feed underprivileged children whose access to school lunches was cut off by school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic.She has given $1 million to the charity No Kid Hungry, which says it has so far spread $2 million across 30 states to feed low-income children and their families.'As of this week, over a billion children are out of school worldwide because of closures linked to coronavirus,' said Angelina in a statement for No Kid Hungry. 'Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support.' Angelina, who is famous for her philanthropy, added: 'Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible.' She has worked extensively with the United Nations and co-wrote a Time essay published Wednesday promoting UNESCO's new Global Education Coalition, which seeks to facilitate remote education as schools close around the world. In 2006 the film star and her ex-husband Brad Pitt started their own charity named after their eldest son Maddox, 18, and focused on his native Cambodia. This organization keeps 10 schools up and running in Cambodia, and Angelina separately funds girls' schools in Afghanistan and Kenya, People reports.She has jetted around the world in service of various causes and in 2012 got special envoy status from the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.Angelina is not the only celebrity to throw her support behind No Kid Hungry as Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams started a fundraiser for them last week.

source : Daily mail