Angelina Jolie is advocating the Violence Against Women Act once again as she requested the Senate to re-establish the act, calling for lawmakers to reauthorize the stated law that she stated was vital to offer rudimentary safety to the survivors of violence.
During a press conference at the Capitol besides a group of senators, the veteran actress and activist also criticized Congress for letting the act expire.
First passed in 1994, the said law incorporated provisions for the prosecution at the federal level related to interstate sexual assault felonies and domestic violence. The act, as well, included support for rape crisis facilities, shelters, and community syndicates. It was last renewed in 2013 but later perished in 2019, and has since diminished.
Standing here, at the center of our nation’s power, I can think only of everyone who’s been made to feel powerless by their abusers [and] by a system that fails to protect them.
Jolie said at the start of her speech.
When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness. You think, ‘I guess my abuser is right. I guess I’m not worth very much.’ That’s why passing this law is one of the most important votes U.S. senators will cast this year.
On Wednesday, the chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), stated that a bilateral consensus had been developed on restoring the law. As reported by CNN, that statement came after a clause was overturned that would have barred unmarried couples from keeping weapons if they were held accountable for domestic violence.
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, daughter of Jolie, also joined her mother for her visit to Capitol Hill. Jolie’s latest visit to the capital of the country was back in December 2021, when she held meetings with legislators in support of VAWA.
The 46-year-old actress has been advocating VAWA, working in collaboration with its supporters and sponsors to add terms in Kayden’s Law, which would address the aftermaths of domestic violence cases on children and need trauma-informed court procedures and jurisdictive training.
Jolie also showed her support for VAWA while taking to her Instagram profile before the speech.
Heading into the Senate’s introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, I’m grateful and humbled to join with dedicated advocates and legislators, I’m also glad to share in the advocacy with Zahara — and for her presence to calm my nerves before today’s press conference.
See the link to watch Jolie’s full speech below:
“The ugly truth is that violence in homes is normalized in our country.”
WATCH: Complete remarks from Angelina Jolie at news conference on Violence Against Women Act. pic.twitter.com/MzS28BAbPm
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 9, 2022
Angelina had many sessions of visiting D.C. last year, which also included having a meeting with Press Secretary Jen Psaki at the White House, in which passage of the law was the main topic.
In her statements to the press, Jolie identified many of the requirements in the law, in which funding for “non racially biased forensic evidence collection,” was included and also the “jurisdiction to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse and sex trafficking on tribal land.” She also quoted Kayden’s Law, which limits a certain type of supposed and convicted abusers from getting the time with their children when they are unsupervised, or without parents.
Jolie got emotional and started to break down at the end of her comments, as she documented the children “who are terrified and suffering at this moment.”
She kept on going and acknowledging that:
The many people for whom this legislation comes too late, the women who have suffered through the system with little or no support, who still carry the pain and trauma of their abuse, the young adults who have survived abuse and have emerged stronger, not because of the child protective system but despite it, and the women and children who have died who could have been saved.
Angelina also had a meeting with EPA’s Administrator Michael Regan to go through the issues with him about the children’s health and environmental aggravators.
“We know these issues are interconnected, and that’s why our @EPA team is taking a holistic approach on environmental justice to protect ALL children and ALL communities,” later Michael Regan wrote on his Twitter.
Thank you, Angelina Jolie, for stopping by to discuss environmental stressors and children’s health.
We know these issues are interconnected, and that’s why our @EPA team is taking a holistic approach on environmental justice to protect ALL children and ALL communities. pic.twitter.com/mLLd9ML3iV
— Michael Regan, U.S. EPA (@EPAMichaelRegan) February 9, 2022
Domestic violence isn’t as simple as it may seem. It isn’t just limited to physical abuse, rather it can happen in several other shapes in relationships. As reported by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one out of three women and one out of four men have been victims of some type of physical abuse by their partner. The coalition also notes that one out of seven women and one out of 18 men have been shadowed by a close partner during their life.
Much like Jolie, other celebrities have been enlightening the masses that domestic violence is not limited just to a specific group of society. As a matter of fact, it can happen to anyone and the survivors can raise their voice through the platforms of these celebs.
Several other celebrities including Mariah Carey, Charlize Theron, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Tina Turner, Tyler Perry, Patrick Stewart, and many more have actively worked to raise awareness through their art and service to the masses.
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Jane Davies
