Angelina Jolie Heads to D.C. with Daughter Zahara to Address Impact of Domestic Violence on Kids
Angelina Jolie is back in Washington, D.C. to advocate for victims of domestic abuse.
The actress was present, with her daughter Zahara, at the country’s capital for the Senate’s bipartisan introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), which seeks to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
Jolie, 46, has worked closely with the bill’s sponsors and advocates on provisions to address the impact on kids of domestic violence and the long-term health effects of trauma.
“We have to understand the trauma effects of abuse and put the health, safety, and healing of children at the center of how our legal and medical systems approach domestic violence,” said the actress. “These are national and global issues for children’s and families’ health and wellbeing.”
Angelina Jolie is also advocating for Kayden’s Law, which requires trauma informed court processes and legal standards and judicial training that minimizes the risk of harm to children.
The Eternals star met with Senators Durbin, Ernst, Feinstein and Murkowski and VAWA advocates, as well as Ambassador Susan E. Rice, Director of President Biden’s Domestic Policy Council; Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan; and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark.
This is Jolie’s third trip to D.C. She previously arrived in December with Zahara, where the two met lawmakers to support VAWA.
“Honored to visit Washington, DC, with Zahara, working with advocates and lawmakers to modernize and strengthen the #ViolenceAgainstWomenAct to include protections for children’s health and safety, communities of color, tribes, LGBTQ survivors, rural areas, and all survivors,” wrote Jolie in the caption of her Instagram post at the time.
“We need reforms including judicial training, trauma informed court processes that minimize the risk of harm to children, grant programs for technology to detect bruising across all skin tones and create non biased forensic evidence collection, and protections for the most vulnerable,” she added.
Jolie directed her Instagram followers to go online to “learn more about VAWA reauthorization and why safety can’t wait,” and to “encourage Senators to cosponsor and support #VAWA4ALL.”
