Angelina Jolie attends Violence Against Women Act signing at White House

Angelina Jolie went to the White House on Wednesday to witness U.S. President Joe Biden sign the reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act.

The Eternals actress was in attendance as Biden entered the White House's East Room for the signing, The Hill reports.

The event was for the reauthorisation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which Biden originally contributed to when he was a senator in 1994. The signing authorises all VAWA grant programs until 2027.

Jolie is a vocal supporter of the VAWA and gave a speech to U.S. senators in February urging them to renew the legislation.

"Standing here, at the centre of our nation's power, I can think only of everyone who's been made to feel powerless by their abusers (and) by a system that fails to protect them," Jolie said in her speech. "The reason that many people struggle to leave abusive situations is that they've been made to feel worthless. When there is silence from a Congress too busy to renew the Violence Against Women Act for a decade, it reinforces that sense of worthlessness. You think, 'I guess my abuser is right. I guess I'm not worth very much.' That's why passing this law is one of the most important votes U.S. senators will cast this year."

Last week, when Congress passed the reauthorisation, she wrote on Instagram, "Today, I think of all the children and families who will now have a better chance of a life free from violence," and added, "Next step: President Biden's signature."

The VAWA offered funds toward the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, and imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted.