Angelina Jolie has spoken out about how children are at risk of abuse during the coronavirus pandemic while so many countries are in lockdown. 

The 44 year-old, writing forTime magazine and explained that children who are already abused will be most vulnerable.

The American actress and mother-of-six, said: "Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children."

In the US an estimated 1 in 15 children are exposed to 'intimate partner violence each year' and since the pandemic, reports of domestic violence around the world has increased. 

"It comes at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative’s house that provide an escape from their abusive environment.

"COVID-19 has cut children off from their friends, their regular schooling and their freedom of movement," she added. 

Jolie, alongside her successful acting career, has used her profile in the past to help vulnerable children. 

She said there are sites that can help if you have concerns such as The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and the Child Helpline Network. 

She added: "It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. It will take an effort by the whole of our country to give children the protection and care they deserve."