Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has penned a commentary article about the rise in child abuse amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In her article published in an international magazine, the ‘Maleficent’ star has highlighted how the isolation has affected families across the globe and left the children at the risk.
Angelina Jolie addressed that more than 100 women worldwide are killed in domestic violence situations every day, and often times children are witnesses to it.
Commenting on quarantine, she said that quarantine is giving the much-needed time for the abusers to pose more difficulties to children.
Writing in an op-ed, she said: “Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children. There are already reports of a surge in domestic violence around the world, including violent killings.
“It comes at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative’s house that provide an escape from their abusive environment. COVID-19 has cut children off from their friends, their regular schooling and their freedom of movement. With well over a billion young people living under lockdown worldwide, there has been a lot of focus on how to prevent children missing out on their education, as well as how to lift their spirits and keep them joyful in isolation.”
She said, “The Global Partnership to End Violence against Children has produced a series of guides to help protect children during the pandemic. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. It will take an effort by the whole of our country to give children the protection and care they deserve.”