Angelina Jolie: Child survivors of sexual violence need more support

Angelina Jolie told the United Nations Security Council on Friday more action was needed to support child survivors of sexual violence in conflict.

Jolie said promises made to children in last year's council Resolution 2467, which placed survivors' needs and rights at the centre of all actions, were being broken.

"For all the efforts that have been made, we live in a world where child survivors of these crimes - and violence of all kinds - live with stigma and the fear of retaliation at the hands of powerful perpetrators," she told the video conference. "Where in some countries, rape is not illegal and girls are forced to marry their rapists."

The Hollywood actor, who is a special envoy for the UN High Commission for Refugees, said UN member states must "do the hard work to support survivors, change laws and attitudes and bring perpetrators to account."

Promises of sanctions, justice and reparations for victims, and recognition for children born of rape must be kept, she said.

Heiko Maas, the foreign minister of Germany, which holds the Security Council's rotating presidency this month, also urged countries to "act upon the commitments we made in Resolution 2467."

"Progress remains painfully slow," he lamented. "Rape, forced prostitution and sexual slavery continue to be used as weapons in conflicts around the globe."

Maas noted that pandemic-related lockdowns are restricting survivors' access to medical and legal services, while many victims are unable to "escape the brutal proximity of their tormentors."