Angelina Jolie has joined social media to raise awareness about the women and children seeking safety during the current Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
The actor and humanitarian took to the platform Friday to share a picture of a handwritten letter from a teenage girl in Afghanistan, according to the post’s caption. She said that she was sharing the letter on Instagram since Afghan people are having trouble accessing the platform.
“Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights,” she wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSzXXUHLzXt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)
Afghanistan is currently in turmoil after the Taliban engaged in a takeover the past week during the final stages of the U.S. military’s withdrawal. Humanitarians and human rights activists including Malala Yousafzai have expressed concerns for women, minorities, and human rights advocates in the country.
Jolie also reflected on her past humanitarian work in Afghanistan, and shared her thoughts on the current Taliban takeover. “I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago. It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,” she wrote.
She continued, “Watching for decades how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it.”
The author of the handwritten letter expressed fear over retuning to school because of the Taliban’s regressive rules about women and girls. Reports show that women have been sent home from their jobs and universities in cities that have fallen under Taliban control.
“We all had rights, we was [sic] able to defend our rights freely, but when they come, we are all afraid of them, and we think all our dreams are gone. We think our rights have been violated we can not get out,” the letter reads.
Jolie concluded the post with, “Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.”
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