Angelina Jolie in the House of Lords room. (Photo : BBC News)
Angelina Jolie Pitt has once again used her celebrity status in a positive way to talk about the global refugee crisis. The Hollywood actress, who is also a United Nations Ambassador for refugee agency, has co-written an emotional op-ed column on the plight of Syrian refugees in one of Britain's newspaper on Monday.
Writing with Arminka Helic (who is also a former refugee from the 1990s war in Bosnia-Herzegovina), Jolie-Pitt urges global leaders to come together and find a solution to the refugee crisis because "at no time in recent history has there been a greater need for leadership" than it is now.
"The Syria conflict has created a wave of human suffering that has rolled out across the region and now reached the shores of Europe," the actress wrote, according to The Times.
She was referring to the recent unfortunate tragedy where body of a three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi was found on the Turkish shore.
The actress said that Syrians are fleeing their country because it "has become a killing field" and their plight is not good after they leave their country and "live in in refugee camps on dwindling rations."
It should not come as a surprise that the Syrians are taking matters into their own hands. "How many of us could honestly say that in their shoes we would not do the same, confronted by fear, lack of hope, and a glaring lack of international political will to end the conflict," Jolie-Pitt questioned.
She urged the world leaders to take some action and "make it a turning point in people's understanding not just of the Syria conflict but of the global refugee crisis."
The actress further asked the leaders to not only use their "hearts, heads and aid" but also work towards the crisis for years to come. The way the countries will respond in the time of crisis will determine their depth of humanity and also tell how strong their democracies are.
Jolie-Pitt has been dedicated to the cause of refugees since a long time now. In June, the actress and her daughter Shiloh made a humanitarian trip to one of the refugee camps and had an emotional interaction with few families, People reported.
