Angelina Jolie Met With White House Officials To Defend The Violence Against Women Act
The Oscar-winning actress visited Washington, D.C., to advocate for the reauthorization of the landmark legislation.
Angelina Jolie visited the White House yesterday to show her relentless support of women and girls worldwide.
According to CNN, the Oscar-winning actress met with Washington officials to discuss reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. The landmark legislation was championed by then-Senator Joe Biden in 1994, and ultimately approved and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton at the time.
A spokesperson for Jolie told the outlet, "UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie is in D.C. for a second day meeting with Senior White House and DOJ officials, and Senators to continue to advocate for the rights of women and children and health in families. In her meetings she will talk about the importance of VAWA reauthorization, FBI reforms, judicial training, and health equity including non-biased forensic evidence collection."
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The actress and humanitarian visited the White House's press briefing room, where she spoke with reporters about why she's advocating for reauthorization of the legislation.
"It's a health crisis, what is happening," said Jolie. "And it's going to be solved if we look at it as health and families and invest. ... And there is the harm within the families, especially for the children and getting the care early, and the prevention."
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Jolie reportedly met with White House press secretary Jen Psaki, communications director Kate Bedingfield, and White House Gender Policy co-chair Jennifer Klein during her visit, per CNN. Psaki even tweeted about Jolie's White House appearance, writing, "Met briefly this morning with the tireless and committed #AngelinaJolie this morning to talk about the importance of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and the importance of continuing to fight for women, children and families around the world."
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This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.