Sexual Violence Prevention: Angelina Jolie Named an Honorary Dame by Queen Elizabeth for Work Against Sexual Violence
To add to her boundless list of accolades, Angelina Jolie can now say that she has been recognized as a real dame.
On Friday, the Oscar-winning actress was named an honorary dame by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. The honor, which is the female version of a knight, was presented to the Hollywood star for her work combating sexual violence in war zones during the queen's annual Birthday Honors List ceremony.
However, the Hollywood star will not be able to officially introduce herself as a dame since the title is reserved for British and Commonwealth citizens only.
Jolie, who won an Academy Award in 2000 for "Girl, Interrupted," has been a United Nations special envoy for years, in addition to an highly acclaimed international humanitarian.
"To receive an honor related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to," said the "Maleficent" star, reports the Associated Press.
Jolie joins the list of other U.S recipients of honorary knighthoods, including director Steven Spielberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former President Ronald Reagan.
Earlier this week, the mother of six co-hosted a four-day international summit with British Foreign Secretary William Hague at The Hague in the Netherlands on sexual violence.
During the conference, 155 countries signed a declaration of commitment to end sexual violence in conflict, while many others pledged to give funds to support the cause.
Jolie said the summit was important to raise rape awareness during times of war. "I believe that one of the outcomes of this summit is that this subject is now firmly on the top table of international diplomacy," the actress said, reports the New York Daily News. "And we will work to ensure that it stays there."
Also at the convention was Secretary of State John Kerry who told participants that it was time to "banish sexual violence to the dark ages and the history books." He added: "We will not tolerate rape as a tactic of war and intimidation."
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