Jolie ‘ashamed of US’

AP

January 30, 2006

Jolie has two adopted children: Maddox, 4, from Cambodia and an infant daughter, Zahara, from Ethiopia (Photo: AP)

HOLLYWOOD actress and child rights campaigner Angelina Jolie says she’s “ashamed” the United States still has not signed a United Nations charter on protecting children’s rights.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jolie – a UN goodwill ambassador – said a lot of things about her country had shocked her over the past few years.

“I am absolutely ashamed” Washington has not formally ratified the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” she said.

“Being an American I think it’s horrible. I think Congress should ratify that. If we really care about that how dare we not ratify it?”

The United States signed the convention in 1995, but apart from Somalia is the only country not yet to have ratified the treaty.

Jolie, 30, has worked as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency UNHCR for four years, travelling to 20 countries over that time including Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

She has adopted two children, Maddox, from Cambodia, and Zahara from Ethiopia.