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Angelina Jolie is urging everyone to "check in with each other" and "love each other" as the world continues to self-isolate.
The Hollywood actress and humanitarian, who is also the special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, was speaking with Dr Nadine Burke Harris in a video conference for Time, where she’s also a contributing editor.
With most countries on lockdown and people forced to stay at home, she said it was now more important than ever to stay in contact with friends and family, InStyle reports.
"I think it is so important that people hear that," the Maleficent star and mom-of-six said. "To love each other, check in with each other.
"Be there, be a support group, keep your eyes open whether you are a teacher or a friend.
"I really do hope people hear this, and they do reach out, and they do pay more attention, and they are not sitting in a moment when they think, 'Well maybe, but it’s not my business'."
The 44-year-old also touched on the issue of domestic violence saying that because many kids aren’t going to school now "teachers can’t see the bruises and people aren’t identifying what is happening within some homes".
In an open letter published in Time magazine, the star delved further into the domestic violence problem saying that "lockdowns and stay at home orders have resulted in job losses and economic insecurity, increasing stress and uncertainty for many families, which increases the risk of domestic violence".
"Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children," she wrote.
When asked by Burke Harris what motivates her to "continue to stand as a witness and to not look away", Angelina replied that she used to write in a journal and would cry a lot until she met a grandmother who saw her crying and told her, "I don’t need you to cry. I need you to help me".
Last month she donated $1 million (R18 million) to No Kid Hungry which distributes food to children who previously depended on meals at school, Daily Mail reports.
She’s also working with Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) to make online learning more accessible for children quarantined across the globe.
(Sources: Daily Mail, InStyle, Mirror)
