Angelina Jolie is a woman who seems to
attract superlatives. “The most beautiful woman in the world”, “the most
famous woman in the world” – you name it, someone’s googled it.
So there was something more than a little daunting about spending the best part of a week rubbing shoulders with her.
I’d first met Ms Jolie
at the foreign secretary’s country residence in Chevening, Kent, where
they’d drawn up plans for a global campaign to tackle warzone rape.
She’d raised the idea of me accompanying the two of them to the Congo to
meet some of the millions of women raped during conflict. If I’m
honest, I wasn’t sure if a Hollywood A-lister with a hectic film and
family schedule would be able to find the time.
But Ms Jolie was as good as her word and a few months later I found
myself touching down at Nairobi with her and the ever so slightly
star-struck William Hague.
There were many who thought the trip was a kind of vanity project for
the pair of them. After interviewing both the film star and the foreign
secretary, and watching them at work in the Congo, I’d say their
devotion to an atrocity Mr Hague has likened to slavery is heartfelt and genuine.
Ms Jolie had sheaves of paper and took copious notes of every
encounter. She asked questions, offered views, and promised to feed back
practical suggestions to the UN.
Converting the foreign secretary
She first resolved to campaign against sexual violence in conflict while researching her 2011 film, In the Land of Blood and Honey, which featured gruesome scenes of rape during the Bosnian conflict.
Mr Hague’s Bosnian aide Arminka Helic presented the foreign secretary
with a DVD of the film. Having watched it he was immediately converted
to the cause.
Hence the trip to the Congo, where both met rape survivors, women at constant risk of attack in the refugee camps, and the courageous surgeon Dr Lusi, whose hospital in Goma admits women so brutally maimed by Congolese and rebel soldiers it makes him despair of humanity.
Dedication
I didn’t know at the time, as we bumped down volcanic, unmade tracks
for hours on end, that Ms Jolie was recovering from a double mastectomy.
In retrospect that explains why her attendance on the visit was in some
doubt right up to the last minute and why, to my consternation at the
time, there appeared to be a question mark over her promise to do a Channel 4 News
interview, live from Rwanda. After a gruelling series of operations and
back-to-back long-haul flights, she was no doubt exhausted.
But what surprised me most about Ms Jolie was her determination to
follow through on her support for the campaign. Back from the Congo,
she’s attended a conference with Mr Hague in Whitehall and a UN session
on the issue in New York. She’s also due to fly to a global summit hosted by the foreign secretary in London next year.
And while you can be sceptical about the chances of succeeding in
ending what Mr Hague has called “a monstrosity of our age”, you can’t
help but be impressed by Ms Jolie’s dedication. Follow @cathynewman on Twitter
I've
spoken to Angelina Jolie several times in the last few days, and she
has been so strong and determined to use her medical issues as a way of
opening space for a national conversation on women's health options. No
self-pity there--she just wants to help out. And that's why she shows
again that she's the gold standard of celebrity activist. Bravo to her
for her courage and her attitude.
I've spoken to Angelina Jolie several times in last few days, and she has been so strong, so brave, so determined.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) May 14, 2013
Angelina
Jolie also asked me to convey her thanks. She is just so, so grateful
for the overwhelming outpouring of public support that she's getting.
And she's grateful to all for taking this and running with it to start
serious conversations about women's health.
Angelina Jolie also asked me to thank everyone: She is SO grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) May 14, 2013
Tonight, on Nightline--Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy...why Brad Pitt says she's a hero to women everywhere.
— Nightline (@Nightline) May 15, 2013
Here's to Angelina Jolie. I hope she makes a really sexy movie again soon... fb.me/29Z3ztjkR
— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) May 15, 2013
Angelina Jolie: How She's Emerged as Hollywood's Biggest Role Model eonli.ne/YVpOQu
— E! Online (@eonline) May 15, 2013
Ms. Jolie is a heroine to many. Me included. There are very few
public figures who do it all, put their money where their mouth is, suit
up and show up and, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, "do the thing you think
you cannot do." She is brave and bold and challenging. She challenges
the world with her thoughts and actions and deeds. She tells stories
that have meaning. She walks the walk, talks the talk and does so with
jaw dropping beauty and admirable and seemingly effortless style.
She is, as we say, a good egg with what she says is a "faulty gene."
Today's revelation, done with eloquence and dignity and grace, is remarkable both in its message and its import to the world of women. Pro-action.
What also struck me this morning was her ability -- in this TMZ'd
world where every illness, struggle, step and misstep a public person
makes is deemed newsworthy and fodder for the tabloid machine -- to do
this in private. Surrounded by people she had to trust with
this most delicate and sensitive of issues, she did it in the safety net
of family and doctors and nurses and technicians who stuck with their
original command: first, do no harm.
They respected Ms. Jolie with her privacy and in doing so allowed her
to share, if and when she wanted to, her journey with the public. The
separation between church and state, public and private allows the
millions of women who will follow her lead to listen and watch her now
that she has recovered and not stare at a grainy image of perhaps a very
frail and post operative Jolie, in the private sanctuary of her medical
team.
I add this to the long list of admirable qualities she possesses and I
only hope, if I have to navigate any illness or issue, that I will try
to emulate Ms. Jolie as my guide and follow in her very strong and and brave
steps and her quiet dignity.
Foreign Secretary William Hague and film star turned UN envoy Angelina
Jolie have jointly launched a campaign to end warzone rape but, as Cathy
Newman writes, there are many obstacles in the way.
On the bumpy, dirt track which passes for a main road
out of Goma, the crowds of Congolese don't even look up when the UN
armoured convoy rumbles by.
They're so used to seeing it that it's no longer noteworthy.
The UN and an assortment of charities have been in the
Congo for years to try and protect a people whose lives have been torn
apart by decades of fighting.
Since 1998, the war has claimed 5.4m lives, and official estimates suggest 200,000 women have been raped during the conflict.
And even though there's a peace agreement of sorts, the violence and rape go on.
I'm travelling with the foreign secretary and the Hollywood film star turned UN envoy Angelina Jolie - who have jointly launched a campaign to end warzone rape - an atrocity which, William Hague says, shames the world.
Despite the incredible mineral wealth of the Congo -
gold, diamonds and coltan, which is sought-after to make mobile phones -
in the east of the country particularly its people live in daily danger
and grinding poverty.
By the side of the road we're jolting along, women are
selling anything they can - fruit and nuts balanced in giant baskets on
their heads, vegetables, mobile phone covers, baseball caps. Men push
home-made bikes hewn from tree trunks and laden with produce, and tiny
children carry even tinier babies.
Without saying a word, a boy in a thread-bare red cross
t-shirt emblazoned with a red cross seems to say it all. Their trust in
the protection of charities and the international community has worn
thin over the years.
The challenges ahead
We're on our way to a camp for displaced people near
Goma. It's supposed to afford some protection and the families living
here are grateful that it does. But they also say they're at risk of
being raped if they leave the camp to find food or firewood for cooking.
The International Rescue Committee which runs the Nzolo
camp is trying to stop women endangering themselves by giving them
stoves so they don't have to collect wood.
But despite its best efforts conditions for the ten thousand people who call this place home are pretty hellish.
The makeshift shelters are no protection against the rain, and it's a breeding ground for insect-borne diseases.
One of the women told me a baby recently died because there are no ambulances to take people who fall sick to hospital.
In a camp just up the road another woman said she'd been raped in the camp itself. That was the second time she'd been attacked.
She was prepared to stand up in court to see her
attackers punished. But she doubted she could recognise them well enough
to identify them.
And that's the kind of challenge Mr Hague's initiative
faces. For women facing a daily struggle for food and survival, bringing
rapists to justice is without doubt a laudable aim, but in a country
broken by decades of war, there are many obstacles in the way.
If you missed my interviews with @williamjhague on Syria and Angelina Jolie on warzone rape you can watch here bit.ly/15LJrb4
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) March 25, 2013
William Hague & Angelina Jolie arrived @ 15h45 at Goma airport, want to a camp w/ IRC and r now on their way back to Kigali
— Melanie Gouby (@Melaniegouby) March 25, 2013
Angelina
Jolie joins British Foreign Secretary William Hague talk to women in
DRC about rape being used as weapon of war. Rough Cut (no reporter
narration).
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and Foreign Secretary
William Hague have teamed up in the Democratic Republic of Congo to
highlight concerns over sexual violence.
The pair visited a rescue camp for women north west of Goma to raise awareness of warzone rape.
The foreign secretary said: "Sexual violence in conflict has to be resolved if conflicts are going to be resolved."
Jolie, a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner, said the issue needed a "worldwide focus".
James Robbins reports.
The Hollywood actress and British Foreign Secretary visit a refugee camp in
the Democratic Republic of Comgo as part of campaign to stop rape being used
as a tool of war.
10:26PM GMT 25 Mar 2013
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, a special envoy for the UN refugee agency,
travelled to the Nzulo camp near Goma on Monday along with Foreign Secretary
William Hague.
The visit to the Nzolo IDP camp north of Goma, was intended to highlight the
use of rape in conflict zones, and to raise awareness of the issue on an
international level.
"What we're here to do is try to scale it up and make this a world wide focus
and it's due time, it's been going on every war, every crisis and it's often
an afterthought and it's due time to end this and put an end to impunity and
they deserve it," Jolie said.
Mr Hague said that he planned to raise the problem at the annual G8 meeting of
foreign ministers in London in April.
"Sexual violence in conflict has to be resolved if conflicts are to be
resolved because when rape is used as a weapon of war, it makes communities
harder, to bring together and much harder for people to get on with their
lives afterwards," he said.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) says it's provided care to more than
2,500 women and girls who have been raped or abused over the last year alone.
The IRC is handing out kits with flashlights and whistles, as well as cleaning
products so that women can avoid bathing at creeks where the risk of assault
is higher.
Sexual violence is frequently used as a weapon of war by rebel groups that
operate in eastern Congo, as well as by Congolese soldiers.
A somewhat unlikely duo, the Foreign Secretary and the actress launched the
campaign in May 2012 to prevent sexual violence in conflict zones.
NORTH KIVU PROVINCE, Democratic Republic of Congo – The
British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and actress and UNHCR Special
Envoy, Angelina Jolie, visited a displacement camp in Eastern DRC today
(Monday 25 March) to see how the International Rescue Committee (IRC)
is preventing violence against women and girls vulnerable to physical
and sexual abuse.
Mr Hague and Ms Jolie met with IRC staff and displaced women at Nzulo
camp near Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. The camp supports
over 10,000 of the estimated 218,000 people currently displaced in the
area over the past year.
The spontaneous displacement sites and camps around Goma are often
not a safe refuge for women and girls, especially as they collect
firewood or water, try to find assistance to support themselves and
their families, or walk around at night time.
To help prevent violence to women and girls the IRC has distributed
12,000 ‘dignity kits’ in six camps and displacement sites near Goma in
recent months. The kits include clothing, several sets of underwear,
strips of reusable cloth for sanitary towels, bars of soap and two
buckets; one for washing clothes and the other for washing themselves.
These simple items allow women to wash in private rather than risk
physical or sexual violence while at communal and unprotected creeks. To
reduce the risk at night-time, the kits also include torches and
whistles. To reduce the amount of time women and girls spend collecting
firewood, the IRC will begin distributing 2,500 fuel efficient stoves in
April.
Violence against women and girls is an ever present threat in the
DRC but the armed conflict and displacement over the past year have
further exacerbated the problem. Over the past 12 months the IRC has
provided life-saving care to more than 2,500 women and girls who have
been raped or abused.
The IRC has seen a marked increase in violence against women and girls
in North and South Kivu, peaking in September, when the number of cases
reported was 190 per cent higher than the 2011 monthly average. (1)
Women reported to the IRC rape, physical assault, forced marriage and
other forms of abuse. The teams discovered that while there was an
increase in cases perpetrated by a stranger, in 45 per cent of the cases
the perpetrator was someone known to the woman, typically a family
member, partner or someone from the local community.
Protecting women and girls from violence is a core part of the IRC’s
emergency response. Seven dedicated teams provide lifesaving care to
women and girls. As well as counselling and medical advice, survivors
are given ‘post-rape kits’, consisting of antibiotics, antiretroviral
drugs to prevent HIV infection, and emergency contraception.
Elinor Raikes, the IRC’s Deputy Regional Director in DRC, said:
“Women and girls have been on the frontline of the crisis in Congo for
too long and the recent conflict has put them at even more risk from
sexual and physical violence. Violence against women and girls takes
place in every conflict, which is why it is essential to prevent abuse
in the first place and support survivors as they resume their role as
leaders within their families and communities.”
The IRC is also providing emergency delivery kits to visibly
pregnant women in three camps around Goma to ensure women are able to
deliver their babies safely even if they are unable to reach a health
centre. By the end of March the IRC will also have renovated 46 schools
in North Kivu, which were damaged by fighting and looting.
The IRC has been operating in the region since 1996 and is currently
the largest aid and development organisation in the Kivus, reaching an
estimated 1.8 million people. Current IRC current programmes focus on
emergency assistance, healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment,
education and strengthening communities’ capacity for recovery Contact:
Paul Donohoe (London) +44 (0)20 7692 2727/ 07779 624 385/ Paul.Donohoe@rescue-uk.org
Sinziana Demian (Goma) +243 (0)995 200 516/ Sinziana.Demian@rescue.org NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, field
visits, or interviews with experts on this issue, please contact the IRC
staff above and follow @IRCUkNews for updates. 1. Based on caseload of women and girls using IRC services. About the International Rescue Committee: A global
leader in humanitarian assistance for 80 years, the International Rescue
Committee responds to the world’s worst crises and helps refugees and
others uprooted by conflict, disaster and persecution to survive and
rebuild their lives. At work in more than 40 countries, the IRC works to
restore safety, hope, opportunity and dignity.
The IRC is recognised globally as a leader in preventing and
responding to violence against women. In emergencies the IRC delivers
urgent care for victims of assault and in longstanding crises we provide
safe places for women. In the aftermath of war, the IRC addresses the
root causes of violence against women by helping them gain greater
economic independence and play a more meaningful role in
decision-making. Last year International Rescue Committee supported
16,000 survivors of gender based violence across the world.
The UK foreign secretary is on a fact-finding mission with the actor. What bons mots might this great meeting of minds produce?
No, Brad Pitt hasn't accidentally gone out in his Benjamin Button prosthetics again. This is William Hague, the foreign secretary, accompanying Angelina Jolie
on a fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He's
prioritising justice for victims of war-zone rape as part of Britain's
G8 presidency; she recently directed a film on the subject. Look at
them. Brains and beauty. Authority and charisma. All of these qualities,
standing right next to William Hague.
But what might Angelina be saying to her companion?
Been with @williamjhague and Angelina Jolie speaking to survivors of warzone rape at camps for people displaced by war in Congo. Blog soon
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) March 25, 2013
Nothing would draw more attention to their trip and campaign against sexual violence than wedding news. Which makes me think its probably true. -- Fussy
Angelina Jolie
wore a new plain gold ring on her finger as she walked through LAX on
Friday night. She left LA for a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo
and Rwanda to raise awareness of sexual violence in war zones. Angelina
is visiting the two nations with William Hague, the British Foreign
Secretary, and a group of journalists. She will be meeting with survivors of sexual violence,
as well as doctors and lawyers, to discuss how to help the victims. The
subject of sexual violence in war-torn countries isn't a new one for
Angie, who made her directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey,
a film that touched on Bosnia's rape victims. Aside from her
humanitarian work, Angelina has been keeping busy with Miraval, the new
rose she launched with Brad Pitt. The wine has been enjoying a lot of succes, including rave reviews from top wine experts.
Lainey Photos
@care#DRC just welcomed British Foreign Secretary & Angelina Jolie to DRC to see 1st hand the impact of #SGBV on women
— Adel Sarkozi (@sarkozi_a) March 25, 2013
CARE just welcomed Angelina Jolie at one of our projects working with rape and sexual violence survivors in #DRC. Photos to come
— CARE Canada (@carecanada) March 25, 2013
UN Special Envoy Jolie, British Foreign Secretary, See Firsthand the Impact on Women
GOMA, Congo, The Dem. Rep. of (March 26, 2013) - Yesterday,
CARE hosted UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and British Foreign
Secretary William Hauge as they visited a CARE-supported sexual- and
gender-based violence (SGBV) project in the Lac Vert Internally
Displaced People's camp, on the outskirts of Goma, North Kivu.
Hague
said that he came to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to
understand better the needs of survivors of sexual violence in advance
of the coming G8 meeting in London, when, for the first time in the G8's
history, foreign ministers will hold high-level discussions on the
topic of gender-based violence.
"Both Hague and Jolie were
very interested in finding out about the current situation in the camp,
and what the sexual violence survivors needed the most," said Yawo
Douvon, CARE's country director in the DRC. "CARE hopes that this visit
will shed more light on the issues women are facing in DRC every day.
Sexual- and gender-based violence continues to be a major concern for
CARE, especially with the volatile situation that persists in North
Kivu, eastern DRC."
"We are still seeing people arriving
every day in camps such Lac Vert after having fled the recent eruption
of violence in Kitchanga, which displaced nearly 100,000 people this
month," Douvon explained. "Many of them are women with children. Many
have survived sexual violence on their long journey to safety – a week
by foot, through fields and forest, which was anything but safe. It is a
grim situation."
CARE works in three camps on the outskirts
of Goma, including Lac Vert, training educators to offer support and
advice to sexual violence survivors on how and where to access medical
care. The educators also provide advice on measures that can be taken to
avoid attacks and work
with women and men to address attitudes and traditions that make women
and girls, in particular, vulnerable to such violence.
CARE
also provides financial support to sexual violence survivors and other
vulnerable groups so that they can start businesses such as selling
cooked food or goods in the camp. This initiative not only helps them
regain a sense of normality and dignity but also prevents them from
being exposed to further sexual violence.
On March 17, CARE provided 186 cash transfers to sexual violence survivors and other vulnerable people in Lac Vert camp.
"Jolie
said she was impressed by how important the cash transfers were to the
women she spoke to and how, despite the many difficulties they are
struggling with it, this seems to have brought them hope," said Douvon.
"But there is a great need for more and better emergency medical care to
tend to sexual violence survivors' needs, especially post-exposure
prophylaxis. They are also in urgent need of shelter, and access to
water and sanitation. It is important that we put the survivors first,
and we tend to their immediate medical and psychosocial needs above
all."
Hague and Jolie's visit comes less than three weeks
before the issue of sexual violence against women gets attention at the
G8 meeting of foreign ministers in London. Hague has said he will
promote an international protocol at the April 11 meeting to end
impunity for rape and other sexual assaults.
In addition,
CARE has prioritized the issue of gender-based violence in our policy
and advocacy efforts. Earlier this month, the issue came into the
spotlight at the 2013 CARE Conference & International Women's Day Celebration
in Washington D.C. More than 300 advocates and partners gathered to
urge the U.S. government to continue their support behind programs that
address gender-based violence. Learn
more about CARE's work helping communities bring an end to the
pervasive, and often deadly, scourge of violence against women >
About CARE:
Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting
global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. In 84
countries around the world, CARE places special focus on working
alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper
resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire
communities out of poverty. CARE and our local partners implement
long-term development programs and humanitarian assistance interventions
in the Great Lakes countries (DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi),
including programs to prevent sexual- and gender-based violence and
provide support to survivors. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
Stars are around:)) today....Angelina Jolie was in Pearl Lounge! We wish her a good stay in Rwanda!
— Pearl Lounge Kigali (@PearlLoungeKGL) March 25, 2013
Angelina Jolie, in her campaign to end rape, has joined the
British Foreign Secretary to speak to survivors of sexual violence and
meet political leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo...
Angelina Jolie, in a bid to end rape on a worldwide scale, has
joined British Foreign Secretary William Hague to campaign against
sexual violence in warzones. RAPE MEANS RAPE
And the Hollywood actress had plenty to say on the subject of sexual violence:
"It's often that we speak about the drama and the pain and the
horrors of the Congo but it's also a wonderful place with extraordinary
people." BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE'S LOVED UP MOMENTS
"The big message is that this initiative started by the Foreign
Secretary is extraordinary, but what we're here to do is to try to scale
it up and make this a worldwide focus."
"It's been going on in every war, every crisis and it's often an
afterthought - and it's due time to end this, and put an end to
impunity, and they deserve it." REPORTING RAPE
It's not the first time Angelina has attempted to bring a worldwide
focus to the subject of rape; her 2011 film In The Land Of Blood And
Honey depicted the experiences of women in the infamous rape camps set
up during ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
And it was this movie which acted as a catalyst for the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence initiative.
In three weeks, foreign ministers will meet in London with their
counterparts in the US, France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Russia and Italy
for the annual meeting of the G8. LOVE IT OR LOATHE IT: ANGELINA JOLIE
And, there, Angelina will urge the ministers to help resolve the
important issue of sexual violence, putting measures in place to secure
justice for survivors of rape and deter perpetrators.
Mr Hague has revealed he's just as dedicated to the cause as Angelina Jolie, saying:
"Sexual violence in conflict has to be resolved if conflicts are
going to be resolved, because when rape is used as a weapon of war it
makes communities harder to bring together, and much harder for people
to get on with their lives afterwards." CONTACTS AND CENTRE POINTS FOR RAPE VICTIMS
We hope that Angelina Jolie and the British Foreign Secretary succeed
in their worthy cause; it's amazing to see a Hollywood actress working
so tirelessly to create a better world for women worldwide.
The odd couple of international relations stranded in Rwandan capital by cancelled helicopter flight
LAST UPDATED AT 10:55 ON Mon 25 Mar 2013
THE Hollywood star often described as the most beautiful woman in the
world and the balding Foreign Secretary from Yorkshire described as
William Hague have hit a snag in their joint mission to Africa.
The unlikely couple have been marooned in the Rwandan capital of
Kigali after a "tropical downpour" grounded their helicopter, reports
Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman, who is travelling with them. Hague and
Jolie were supposed to meet survivors of "warzone rape" today, tweeted
Newman, but the storm has forced "stressed diplomats" to "reconfigure"
the schedule.
"No gorillas, but plenty of mist," Newman wrote in a cheerful message from the Rwandan capital.
At least the delayed flight will give Jolie, Hague and Newman plenty
of time to chat. Which may not be a pleasant experience for Hague, given
Newman's burgeoning reputation as a tenacious reporter following her
dogged pursuit of allegations of improper conduct by
the Liberal Democrat peer Lord Rennard earlier this year. Newman even
managed to speak about the issue to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg by posing
as a caller – Cathy from Dulwich – to his LBC radio phone-in programme.
Newman has reported that the British government's efforts to help
victims of warzone rape include a £1 million pledge to help UN efforts
secure justice for victims and a 70-strong team of police, lawyers,
psychologists, doctors and forensic experts to gather evidence of rape
in warzones. Whether these efforts will "outlast Britain's G8
presidency" is one of the questions she’ll be putting to Hague, possibly
in the rain-lashed airport terminal at Kigali.
Newman seems less likely to interrogate Jolie, whom she has
vigorously defended against those who deride her work as a UN special
envoy as a "vanity project".
"A glance at her [Jolie's] humanitarian work to date may leave you
wondering how she ever finds time for her acting," marvelled Newman on
her Channel 4 blog.
"And if anyone wonders if she'll receive special treatment on this
trip, I'm assured the answer is no. She'll be travelling without an
entourage, and sharing the same accommodation and travel arrangements as
the rest of us."
Angelina Jolie and William Hague fly into
the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of their battle against the use
of rape as a weapon of war.
On the face of it, they're an unlikely couple. The foreign secretary
from Rotherham, and the actress from Hollywood. But William Hague and
Angelina Jolie have paired up because they share a determination to stop
rape being used as a weapon of war.
On Sunday they flew to the Democratic Republic of Congo
where they are meeting survivors of sexual violence, and are speaking
to doctors and lawyers about what can be done to heal the victims and
bring the perpetrators to justice. After DRC they will head to Rwanda.
I am travelling with them, and will be filing reports and interviews this week.
Blood and honey
Ms Jolie's film In the Land of Blood and Honey,
which brought tales of warzone rape in Bosnia to the silver screen,
inspired the foreign secretary to campaign on the issue. He's now made
it a priority for Britain's G8 presidency, which began at the start of
the year.
The numbers of women and girls - and more rarely men and
boys - thought to have been victims of sexual violence around the
world show why action is so urgent.
50,000 raped in Bosnia, 64,000 in Sierra Leone, 200,000 in Congo, 400,000 in Rwanda.
But what exactly can Mr Hague and Ms Jolie hope to
achieve? Well, the government's already pledged £1m to help UN efforts
to secure justice for victims. And it's put together a 70-strong team
of police, lawyers, psychologists, doctors and forensic experts to
gather evidence of rape committed in warzones.
Justice has so far been in very short supply. Only 30 people were convicted of sexual crimes after the Bosnian war for example.
So the resources may help. Mr Hague's decision to lead
the campaign, and Ms Jolie's high-profile backing of it should also
raise awareness, and, it must be hoped, shame governments around the
world into action.
Doubters
There are doubters, of course. Some query if this
campaign will outlast Britain's G8 presidency - though the Foreign
Office insists it will. There are questions about how difficult it
might be to track down and prosecute the perpetrators, and why it's
taken so long to attempt to do so. Why, for example, did the United
Nations appear powerless to stop the M23 rebel group raping women as it
marched on Goma last autumn?
There are also concerns about whether victims who in
some instances have been painfully mutilated would be able to cope with
the stress of court cases.
I'll be asking Mr Hague and Ms Jolie these and other questions over the course of the next few days.
Vanity project?
But to those who may be cynical about the presence of a
Hollywood star on the trip, I've got an answer already. This is not a
vanity project for Ms Jolie.
A glance at her humanitarian work to date may leave you wondering how she ever finds time for her acting.
For more than a decade she's been visiting refugee camps
around the world. She's done so in more than 40 countries. A UN
special envoy, she's also set up numerous foundations and partnerships
to fund humanitarian causes worldwide.
And if anyone wonders if she'll receive special
treatment on this trip, I'm assured the answer is no. She'll be
travelling without an entourage, and sharing the same accommodation and
travel arrangements as the rest of us.
Her mission, she's said in the past, is to raise
awareness of forgotten emergencies, and to "move the ball" - spurring
governments into action.
She's succeeded in getting the ball moving with the UK
government. Now, others around the world are being urged to pick it up
and run with it.
Mid-air storm has scuppered Congo schedule with @williamjhague and Angelina Jolie. Stressed diplomats now reconfiguring
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) March 25, 2013
In a tropical downpour...hope the chopper takes off. No gorillas but plenty of mist.
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) March 25, 2013
Top of the morning from Kigali. I'm travelling to DRC with @williamjhague & Angelina Jolie to meet survivors of sexual violence in conflict
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) March 25, 2013
Exclusive: As the UK prepares to send an
expert team to the Syrian region to support victims of rape, Angelina
Jolie tells Channel 4 News why she feels compelled to take action
against the problem
Exclusive: The British government is sending a team of experts to Syria
to gather evidence on warzone rape - a move backed by UN special envoy
and actress Angelina Jolie.
Speaking to Channel 4 News she said: "I think it (the deployment of experts) must be done.
"I work a lot with refugees and you meet the people and
they immediately want to start talking, they want to know what's
happening to their future. They want to participate and put on record
what is happening in the country.
"They want things not to be missed, they want to know
one day they will be able to go home and there will be accountability.
It matters to them emotionally and it matters to the future of their
country on a legal level that they will be able to find some justice and
move forward and have their basic human rights protected."
Talking about the UN's response to the current crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ms Jolie said: "It's a very, very complex situation.
"I reach out to UNHCR and we talk often, daily on what
is happening and I know the team there is extremely frustrated they
can't access the people, they can't get to the displaced people because
of the violence until there is a ceasefire. It's complicated."
