Out of the mouths of babes: Jada Pinkett Smith says her 11-year-old daughter Willow alerted her to the horrors of human trafficking and modern slavery, so she's launching a campaign to raise awareness and spur action.
We know this because the Associated Press reported that the actress, accompanied by her husband, actor Will Smith, and their daughter Willow, testified before Congress today, urging the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to step up the fight against trafficking in the U.S. and abroad. The hearing was called to discuss what tools are available to combat trafficking over the next decade.
Pinkett Smith said human slavery "robs us of the thing we value most, our freedom."
During a visit to D.C. in June, she told USA TODAY's Arienne Thompson that Willow started researching trafficking and sex slavery after watching the KONY 2012 video (about a Ugandan warlord) that went viral this spring.
The trio looked sharp, as usual; both Jada and Will had on T-shirts reading "Free Slaves." At one point, Will gave up his grey window-pane plaid sports jacket to Willow, who was wearing a black hat but needed more protection in the chilly hearing room.
