Angelina Jolie joins Instagram to share letter she was sent from teenage girl in Afghanistan
‘Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely,’ actor says
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Your support makes all the difference.Angelina Jolie has joined Instagram to share a poignant message and raise awareness about the situation in Afghanistan.
On Friday, the actor and humanitarian, who works as a special envoy to the United Nations refugee agency, used her first-ever Instagram post to share a letter that she received from an Afghan girl expressing her fear over the Taliban.
“This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan. 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,” the 46-year-old captioned the handwritten letter.
Jolie then went on to share her own experiences and relationship with Afghanistan, with the actor recalling meeting Afghan refugees at the border who had fled the country because of the Taliban just two weeks before the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.
“It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country,” the Oscar-winner wrote. “To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand.”
Jolie also shared her horror at watching how Afghan refugees are treated as a “burden,” with the actor continuing: “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 mother-of-six concluded the post expressing her dedication to helping those who are seeking safety from the Taliban, who recaptured control of the country following the withdrawal of American troops, before urging others to join her.
“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,” she wrote.
In the attached letter, the Afghan girl describes life before the Taliban took control of the country, which included the freedom to attend school and work, before sharing her and her family’s fears over the extremist group’s return.
“We all lost our freedom and we are imprisoned again,” the teenager wrote in part.
In the bio of Jolie’s Instagram, where she has already accumulated more than 2.2m followers, she included a link to an article by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
In the comments under Jolie’s first post, the UNHCR welcomed her to Instagram and applauded her for using her platform.
“Welcome to Instagram Special Envoy - your voice and those who join you are needed now more than ever,” the organisation wrote.
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