Angelina Jolie and Daughter Zahara Visit Lawmakers in D.C. to Advocate for Violence Against Women Act

Angelina Jolie and her 16-year-old daughter, Zahara, are on a mission, and that mission brought them to the nation's capital to advocate for the Violence Against Women Act.

The Eternals star shared several photos Friday on Instagram, and in the caption, the 46-year-old actress detailed exactly why and who they met with in Washington, D.C. Jolie wrote she was honored to visit D.C. with Zahara and work "with advocates and lawmakers to modernize and strengthen the #ViolenceAgainstWomenAct to include protections for children's health and safety, communities of color, tribes, LGBTQ survivors, rural areas, and all survivors."

Jolie, a longtime and strong proponent for social causes, posed for a photo with Zahara and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who is a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization in the House. In another photo, Jolie is seen meeting with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a co-sponsor of the bill's reauthorization in the Senate.

The actress is also seen working with representatives from various tribal nations and other officials. Jolie directed those who want to learn more about the VAWA to visit www.4vawa.org and encourage lawmakers to cosponsor and support the reauthorization of the bill.  

Some of the reforms Jolie highlighted included the introduction of grant programs for technology to detect bruising across all skin tones and create non-biased forensic evidence collection.

It should come as no surprise that Jolie has taken up this critical cause. Her list of philanthropic efforts includes traveling to war-torn countries with the United Nations as part of its special envoy to help refugees. She's also helped launched numerous initiatives to help children and sexual assault victims.

Most notably, she founded the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation a year after she adopted her first child, Maddox, in 2002. The organization's objective is to eradicate poverty and improve healthcare and education in Cambodia. Jolie and her now ex-husband, Brad Pitt, also launched the Jolie-Pitt Foundation several years later, with the goal of taking up humanitarian causes across the globe. One of the first major donations after launching the foundation was $1 million to Doctors Without Borders.

Jolie and Zahara's D.C. outing is their first public appearance since the actress brought Zahara and some of her other kids to the Eternals premiere in the U.K. back in October.

When asked what it's been like to have her kids step out onto the red carpet, Jolie told ET that they "try to find a way where they cannot be overwhelmed by it, but just be in it in a comfortable way."

Jolie said the red-carpet moments are just "this little piece of our life" but she was happy "they're able to have some fun with it and not take it too seriously."

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