Angelina Jolie: ‘Everywhere I went rape was the silent killer’

The actress describes rape in a warzone as 'a strategic, organised scheme'

Angelina Jolie (Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie has explained how war zone rape has become a tactical way of “destroying entire communities”.

Jolie has travelled to more than 40 countries with the United Nations looking at the consequences war has on women.

Writer Mariane Pearl met the actress through campaigning work and has shared her experiences of working with her.

“Everywhere I went... Rape was the silent killer,” the writer quoted Jolie as saying.

“But it became quickly clear to me that these women were not just the collateral damage of war. Rape was a strategic, organised scheme to destroy entire communities.”

She also reiterated that the issue is not just about women.

“This is not a woman problem,” Jolie adds. “It's a crime against humanity.”

Zainab Bangura, UN special representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, extolled Jolie’s work.

“I have never seen anybody so committed,” Zainab said of Angelina. “I have been with her at the United Nations. I have walked with her in the Congo. She understands the issues very well, but more important, she listens.”