In one of her many efforts to better the world, Angelina Jolie has made it her mission to end sexual violence and stop the social stigma that survivors face.
And while she is certainly doing that on a global scale, working with nonprofits and governments, the 43-year-old is also having those discussions right at home with her children — both the boys and the girls.
‘I don’t just speak to my daughters. I speak to them with their brothers,’ she told Marie Claire in a new interview. ‘That is maybe the first most important distinction. This is not just a problem for women, and the solution is working with women and men. And girls and boys.’
The actress, of course, has quite a few kids to share this serious discussion with.
Her eldest, Maddox — whom she adopted from a Cambodian orphanage when she was 26 — just turned 17 this summer.
There’s also 15-year-old Pax and 13-year-old Zahara, as well 12-year-old Shiloh and 10-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox, whom she had with Brad Pitt.
Angelina pointed out why it’s so important to include men and boys in the conversation, both as victims themselves and as the overwhelming perpetrators of sexual violence
‘Not only are men and boys also victims of these crimes, but those who are perpetrating these crimes need to have other men remind them what it really is to be a man,’ she said.
‘A man with a healthy relationship to women. And all societies need to be clear about not tolerating this behavior.’