SPEAKING HER TRUTH

Whether she’s fighting for the rights of refugees or her own kids, Angelina Jolie’s passion burns strong

- NICI DE WET

I’M A strong believer that without justice, there’s no peace. No lasting peace, anyway.”

Angelina Jolie has long lived by these words, fighting injustice around the globe and becoming one of Hollywood’s most hardworking humanitarians.

Images of her helping refugees in wartorn countries became almost as commonplace as seeing her face on the silver screen. But in recent years activism has taken a backseat as the drama of her personal life was thrust front and centre.

Her drawn-out divorce from actor Brad Pitt has been hogging headlines since 2016 and the custody battle surrounding their kids continues to drag on.

“She wanted to be there for the kids,” a source says. “They were her top priority.”

But the actress and film director has clearly not abandoned her activism – and a sure sign the passion still burns proud is the release of her new book.

Know Your Rights and Claim Them: A Guide for Youth lays out the rights of children as stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Co-written by international human rights lawyer Geraldine Van Bueren and in partnership with Amnesty International, the book is peppered with powerful young voices from around the world, including those of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai (24), climate activist Greta Thunberg (18) and Palestinian journalist Janna Jihad (15).

In an interview with Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, Angie (46) explains that during her almost 20 years working as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International, she’s met many children whose rights have been violated.