Violet Affleck has certainly made her parents, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, proud.
Earlier this week, the 19-year-old daughter of the Hollywood A-listers took the stand at the United Nations, delivering an inspiring speech that left everyone stunned.
During the address, Violet spoke about the long-term effects of COVID-19, stressing on the significance of masking to prevent the transmission of the disease and urged people to take more precautions in their everyday lives.
Affleck and Garner’s daughter also raised questions about the leaders and adults who have not been treating the matter with sufficient urgency.
Wearing a K95 mask, Violet Affleck stated, "We are told by leaders across the board that we are the future. But when it comes to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes."
She continued to say that "the relentless beat of back to normal, ignoring downplaying, and concealing both the prevalence of airborne transmission and the threat of long COVID. Young people lacked both real choice in the matter and information about what was being chosen for us.”
She then provided details about the virus behind COVID-19, explaining that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne and can cause widespread damage to the body, from the brain and heart to nerves and blood vessels.
"Every subsequent infection increases the risk of long movement and places people who already have it in greater danger,” Violet continued, adding, "As Dr. Akiko Iwasaki says, at this point, the whole population is the control group, and after only five years, long COVID has surpassed asthma as the most common chronic illness in children five years and under.”
Expressing concern over the spread of the virus in schools, the 19-year-old said that she was “terrified” for children who will not get to see a world without debilitating pain and exhaustion.
"I am furious on their behalf. It is a neglect of the highest order to look children in the eyes and say, 'We knew how to protect you and we didn't do it. We have access to a technology to prevent airborne disease, something that millions of our ancestors and millions of people around the world today would kill for, and we refuse to use it,” she added.
As she reflected on her struggles and battle with COVID, Violet stressed on the need of creating clean air infrastructure so that tomorrow’s children “don’t even know why we need it.”
Violet Affleck is the eldest of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s three children.
