Leading humanitarian and girls’ rights organisation, Plan International Australia has welcomed Hollywood actress and activist Phoebe Tonkin as a national ambassador.
“I am so excited and proud to be a part of the movement Plan International are creating, working together to realise equality for girls both here at home and all over the world. There has never been a more important time for us to set differences aside, and to build a world where we are all equal,” Ms Tonkin said.
Ms Tonkin said she believes in a world where girls in all their diversity are protected from violence, early marriage, conflict, discrimination, hunger and have access to primary and secondary education; where they are free from early marriage, violence, hunger, discrimination, period shame and sexism.
With conflict and war raging in many parts of the world, not to mention the climate and cost-of-living crises, the humanitarian need has never been greater than it is right now. In times of crisis, children – particularly girls – often suffer most. Ms. Tonkin has therefore dedicated her support towards Plan International Australia’s Children in Crisis fund, a rapid response fund which provides urgent, lifesaving help to children facing emergencies, deployed within 24 hours of an emergency or disaster happening.
“If you were to count all of the children right now who are living in a conflict or war, they would be equivalent to the third most populous country in the world, after China and India. I am unwilling to accept this. Climate disasters are only going to increase in coming years, and we are living through the worst levels of hunger that the world has ever seen. Poverty is increasing, and inequality only widening.
“And for the girls living in these volatile locations, the risks they face are heightened. Their education is disrupted or ceases by displacement, and the likelihood of abuse, forced marriage and early pregnancy dramatically increases. In times of crises, girls are often the first to be pulled out of school, and many are likely to never return,” Ms. Tonkin said.
Ms Tonkin is passionate about the rights of all children to an education, and the transformative impact school has on young people’s lives: “An education is a human right, and Plan International is deeply committed to ensuring all children, especially girls and those in the most vulnerable of contexts, have access to quality education.
“Through my work with Plan, a powerful statistic that has really stuck with me is this: if every 10-year-old girl globally had the chance to complete secondary education, they would lift the economies of the poorest nations by USD$21 billion every year. How incredible is that? A better now for girls really does mean a better future for everyone.”
Ms Tonkin has built a successful acting career in Australia and in Hollywood, and is perhaps best known for her lead role in the supernatural series The Originals. She has also starred in The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries and the hit Australian teen television series H2O: Just Add Water that screened in over 120 territories worldwide. She recently performed to critical acclaim in the award-winning Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe. She starred in the Emmy-winning SBS miniseries Safe Harbour and directed the short film Furlough. In film, Ms Tonkin starred as Fiona in the box office hit based on the international best seller Tomorrow When the War Began for Paramount Pictures.
Ms Tonkin is a committed and passionate equality advocate, and has used her voice and platform to campaign for refugee rights, climate justice and gender equality – particularly when it comes to the rights of adolescent girls.
“Girls are entitled to the power and agency to shape their futures. I want to see a world where all girls feel empowered and believe they can achieve anything they set their mind to, and that’s why I am an ambassador for Plan International Australia and the incredible communities and girls they work with,” she said.
