Bollywood superstar doing it for abused kids
LAST weekend Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra jetted in to Joburg after a visit to Zimbabwe under the auspices of Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) for which she is a Global Ambassador.
Chopra’s visit culminated in a gala fund-raising dinner held at a hotel in Rosebank. Her appearance was part of Unicef’s global “Ending Violence against Children” campaign, arranged to engage with high-profile individuals and garner support for children who are victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Like many celebrities who lend their support to worthy causes, Bollywood superstars have also taken up the cudgel on behalf of those who are badly in need of assistance.
The gala dinner was a key public advocacy moment to call on everyone in South Africa to end violence against children. While South Africa has made impressive socio-economic progress, these achievements still need to be translated into gains for some of the country’s most vulnerable people. The event was moderated by Unicef South Africa Ambassador Jo-Ann Strauss, and featured a fashion show by designer Gavin Rajah, also a Unicef South Africa Ambassador.
Herve Ludovic de Lys said the representative of Unicef South Africa: “The Convention on the Rights of the Child was the first international treaty signed by the first democratic government of South Africa and, over 20 years later, we have collectively learnt how to create effective circles of care and protection for children.
“The urgent matter today is twofold: to put this knowledge into use by enhancing effective child protection approaches, and to support the millions of children trapped in poverty by improving the quality of public expenditures.”
Many of Chopra’s contemporaries like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, devote time to creating awareness about important issues in India and worldwide.
Chopra met many victims of abuse in Zimbabwe and locally, and was moved by their plight. She acknowledged that Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi had a great impact on her life because of their compassion for children. “Both these great men stood up for the rights of children and talked about how children were the foundation of our society. Our society can never get better if we ignore our children.”