Angelina Jolie moved to tears on second day of the 'End Sexual Violence in Conflict' summit and embraces campaigner whose daughter was attacked by gang 

• The summit is the largest ever held on subject of sexual violence in war
• Actress welled up as she heard victims about their experiences
• Embraced campaigner Neema Namadamu
• Namadamu began campaigning when her 25-year-old daughter was attacked by a group of men metres from her own home in the Congo

The Daily Mail (UK) | 11 June 2014

Angelina Jolie today appeared visibly moved and close to tears at the 'End Sexual Violence in Conflict' summit in London, which she is co-hosting with Foreign Secretary William Hague. The summit is the largest ever held on subject of sexual violence in war.

The actress' eyes welled up as she listened to victims of sexual assault speak about their experiences and spent time with them afterwards, discussing the issues they face and embracing one delegate.

Clutching fellow activist and peacemaker Neema Namadamu on this, the second day of the summit, the actress struggled to contain her emotions.

Angelina embraced fellow activist Neema Namadamu of the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose own daughter was attacked

Angelina held Neema who runs a campaign in the Congo which aims to empower women through technology as well as fight for their human rights

Jolie, centre, who is a Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, listens attentively to a speech of a delegate at the summit

The actress appeared deeply moved listening to victims of sexual assault speak about their experience

The actress spoke on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour this morning about how affected she had been by meeting victims of sexual attack

Neema is an advocate for change in Congo, and founder of the Maman Shujaa-the 'Hero Women of the Congo’ who fight for the rights of women. She who was struck down with polio at age two, and became the first disabled woman to graduate from Congo’s national university. 

She began campaigning when her 25-year-old daughter was attacked by a group of men metres from her own home in the Congo. 

Angelina, Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also embraced other delegates who spoke at the event.

The summit has seen diplomats, officials and non-profit representatives from more than 100 countries gather to press for the rights of victims of sexual violence — women, men and children alike.

Angelina reached over the podium to embrace a delegate after she spoke to the group of diplomats and officials from around the world

With the cameras of the world focused on her, Jolie said she wanted to dedicated the conference to a rape victim she and Hague recently met in Bosnia

William Hague (L) and Angelina (R), pictured here with Congolese women's rights campaigners Carine Safari (centre left ) and Nyota Babunga (centre right) have worked together for years on the issues of women's rights and sexual abuse

With the cameras of the world focused on her, Jolie said she wanted to dedicated the conference to a rape victim she and Hague recently met in Bosnia.

‘She felt that having had no justice for her particular crime, in her particular situation, and having seen the actual man who raped her on the streets free, she really felt abandoned by the world,’ Jolie said.

‘This day is for her.’

Angelina was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour this morning, talking about how she came to be involved in working to end sexual violence.

‘I’ve met survivors and spent time with them. I’d heard their stories and became very emotionally involved and I thought – what can I possibly do to help,’ she said.

The programme also shared the harrowing tales of two women who suffered sexual violence during conflict.

On women described her attack during the Rwanda genocide in these words: ‘I didn’t see their faces, I don’t know them, how can you see someone who is hitting you in the eyes? How will you know someone who is inserting a gun barrel into your mouth, and then between your legs? Then he leaves, and another one enters.’

Another woman spoke of her attack in Minova in the Democratic Republic of Congo: ‘The man said that he wanted to rape me, that if I refused he is going to kill me. Then another five men came. They all raped me. My daughter keeps asking me about her dad. When I try to reveal who her father is, it is really hard for me.

‘I fear also telling her because a lot of men raped me… it is really hard for me to tell my daughter. 

‘I just feel really depressed, when I think of it I burst into tears.  I feel like I am nothing. Sometimes  I even feel like dying .’

A rape survivor who attended the conference today, Wangu Kanja, from Kenya, who has set up her own organization to help others, said she hoped the summit will send a message that governments cannot continue to ignore the issue.

'I'm really hoping that from this the Kenyan government will be forced to do something," she said hours after the summit began.

William Hague compared sexual violence in war zones to slavery as an injustice that demands action.

'As was said with slavery in the 18th century, now we know the facts, we cannot turn aside,' he said.

Others far afield also offered support. Pope Francis, who has made combatting sex trafficking and human slavery one of his priorities, sent a tweet on Tuesday in support of the summit's work, saying 'Let us pray for all victims of sexual violence in conflict, and those working to end this crime.'

Hague and Jolie are set to launch a guidance document on best practices today to help strengthen prosecutions for rape in conflicts. Hague will also host a meeting Thursday on tackling Boko Haram, the Islamic terror group that abducted more than 300 schoolgirls and young women in Nigeria in April.

The pair have campaigned hard on the issue of sexual violence for two years, and on Tuesday they were welcomed with cheers from others fighting for the cause as they toured a lively fringe program featuring photo exhibitions, poetry readings, and artists performing skits.

Nigerian rap and soul singers sang about rape and other problems facing young Africans, while volunteers taught Swahili folk songs in workshops similar to those performed in conflict zones to help reduce trauma. An eclectic group of charity workers and computer experts brainstormed on ways to use technology to improve reporting on sexual violence.