Angelina Jolie is visiting rape victims in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague.

The odd couple has teamed up for the trip to highlight the problem and encourage world leaders to do more to address sexual assault in war zones.

The actress says, "This visit is about hearing first hand from people who have endured rape and sexual violence during the conflict in the eastern Drc. We want to learn the lessons that their experience holds for how the world can protect thousands of women, men and children at risk of rape in many other conflict zones.

"And we want to persuade governments around the world to give this issue the attention it deserves. Unless the world acts, we will always be reacting to atrocities, treating survivors rather than preventing rape in the first place."

Hague hopes to present his findings to the upcoming Group of Eight summit in London.

He is calling on the G8 leaders to agree that rape and sexual violence constitute breaches of the Geneva Conventions governing warfare.

He adds, "More often than not the international community looks away, the perpetrators of these brutal crimes walk free and the cycle of injustice and conflict is repeated. We have to shatter this culture of impunity.

"It is time for real, meaningful action by the governments of the world to say that the use of rape as a weapon of war is unacceptable, to bring perpetrators to justice and to lift the stigma from survivors. This is my personal priority for the meeting of G8 foreign ministers.