Actress Jada Pinkett Smith is speaking out about date rape and sexual assault, as the issue hits close home for her. The actress spoke during Fox’s TCA panel for her show “Gotham” in Los Angeles on Sunday.
According to New York Daily News the stunning actress revealed that a relative of her’s was given a date rape drug. “My niece was given a date rape drug that weekend," Smith told the reports during the panel. ‘That Weekend’ is referring to the weekend that a 14 year-old girl named Jada was raped after being given a date rape drug, which generated media attention and a social media outcry with the hashtag, #justiceforjada.
Smith’s 20 year-old niece was spared from rape because of the company she kept. "Thank God nothing happened because she was with some responsible guys that took care of her,” Smith said.
The incident with her niece and the tons of sexual assault cases that the country faces every year encouraged her to stand up for the cause. "There is an epidemic going on out here in regards to the treatment of women," she said. "We have to figure out how we can empower people in different ways."
People Magazine reported that Pinkett also set down with her 20 year-old and niece and daughter, singer Willow Smith, to teacher her about the severity of the issue. Jada Pinkett Smith is set to star on Fox’s Gotham in September.