Brad Pitt added his star power to the fight against ending sexual abuse in war zones this morning.
The actor accompanied his wife Angelina Jolie, who is a UN special envoy, to the End Sexual Violence in Conflict conference which is being held at the ExCel exhibition centre in Custom House.
In a speech to open Ministers’ day, Jolie, who is co-hosting the event with Foreign Secretary William Hague, urged governmental leaders to work together.
“These crimes of sexual violence are bigger than any one conflict or national interest,” she said.
“And for all the things we struggle to agree upon as nations, the abhorrence of rape cannot be one of them.”
The Foreign Secretary said eradicating sexual violence in conflict zones was a “matter of our common humanity”.
“It may take as many years or more to reach our goals, but every concrete step we take helps to erode the culture of impunity, to relieve survivors of their stigma and suffering, and to deter future perpetrators,” he added.
Representatives from than 123 countries are in attendance at ExCel today, with discussions organised for this afternoon including enhancing military and peacekeeping capability.
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Pictures: Angelina Jolie opens sexual abuse in war zones summit at ExCel
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