Angelina Jolie fights war-zone rape

Angelina Jolie speaks out against sexual abuse London - Arabstoday US film star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague have been granted a further £10m to spend on tackling sexual violence in war-zones, following the Group of Eight (G8) meeting in London today. The pair teamed up to deliver a speech to foreign ministers from the G8 nations on the first of two days of talks in London before June's summit in Northern Ireland. Speaking to reporters, Jolie said: "This violence can be prevented, and it must be confronted. I have heard survivors of rape from Bosnia to the Congo say that the world simply does not care about them. "But today I believe that their voices have been heard, and that we finally have some hope to offer them," she added. The funds will come from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), with each granting £5m. The UK Foreign Secretary said: "I am delighted that we can support today’s historic agreement by announcing additional funds to support grass-roots and human rights projects on sexual violence in conflict and projects addressing violence against women and girls. Earlier today, my G8 colleagues agreed to call for increased funding for international prevention and response efforts. We need to increase the resources available globally to combat this problem." The UK government will work with communities and national governments to help transform discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. The money will fund work in up to five countries, looking at what drives and causes violence against women and girls in emergency and conflict settings. It will look specifically at what types of violence takes place and which interventions are the best response and prevention for violence. Jolie added:  "It is encouraging to see men in leadership positions speaking out against rape. Rape is not a women's issue, or a humanitarian issue, it is a global issue." The American actress is renowned for her charitable work in third world countries, overshadowing her husband Brad Pitt’s philanthropic efforts. The actor has also done a lot work to help stop mass atrocities and gross violations of international human rights in the same areas of conflict as his wife – a large majority focused on African regions. Brad Pitt founded Not On Our Watch, a charity committed to robust international advocacy and humanitarian assistance with fellow actors and producers George Clooney, Jerry Weintraub, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and David Pressman. This summer the charity will be hosting their first ever UK charity event at Sandown Park racetrack to raise both awareness and funds within the UK.