Angelina Jolie On Rising Child Abuse Cases lAmid Pandemic: 'Trauma For Children'

Angelina Jolie has penned an emotional article about the rise in child abuse cases amid the ongoing pandemic. In her article, the actress noted how children are being abused physically and mentally in the U.S. and all around world. Most of the countries have ordered lockdowns to prevent the spread of the disease. People are spending their time inside their homes due to which there has been a rise in the cases of abuse.

In her op-ed for Time Magazine, the 44-year-old superstar explained that quarantine is giving the much-needed time for the abusers to pose more difficulties to children because “isolating” a victim from their loved ones is a “well-known” strategy that is frequently used by the violators.

Jolie continued by saying that social distancing, which is the most important thing to do right now to stop the spread of the illness, will adversely affect the children who are “vulnerable” to sexual abuse.

“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 fuel a rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children. There are already reports of a surge in domestic violence around the world, including violent killings,” Jolie stated.

A couple of days ago NPR came up with a report that there has been a huge increase in the live streams of child sex abuse during the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, The Hindu reported that The Childline India Helpline has received more than 90,000 calls in the past 13 days. The report also suggests that there has been an increase of 50% in calls related to child abuse.

Later in the article, the “Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil” star urged people to use help from various organizations who are doing extraordinary work in helping those who are experiencing abuse. She concluded by saying that the whole country has to come together and protect the children.

“The Child Helpline Network can direct parents or anyone with concerns to a number to call for advice and information. And there are sites that can help you if you have concerns about your own relationship. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. It will take an effort by the whole country to give children the protection and care they deserve,” Jolie wrote.

As of late, more than 16,000 people have died in the U.S. due to the coronavirus while 25,928 have recovered.