Watch Blake Lively’s Heartbreaking Speech About Child Pornography

Actress Blake Lively, who is arguably best known for portraying the ultra-glamorous Serena van der Woodsen in “Gossip Girl” and the impulsive Bridget Vreeland in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” is now a voice for the voiceless and a totally empowering woman. Recently, she gave a speech about child pornography at the Variety Power of Women awards that we all should watch.

Lively, who has two children, is partnering with the Child Rescue Coalition—a nonprofit that works to protect children around the world from sexual exploitation—to stop child pornography.

“I would do anything to protect them, I would literally die for them without a moment’s thought,” Lively said in her speech, regarding her daughters, James and Ines. After becoming a mother, Lively said she found new purpose in making sure all children were protected from exploitation.

As emotionally impassioned as Lively’s speech was, she also told the audience about some cold, hard, statistics. Like the fact that 300,000 children are abused every year in the United States. And the fact that only 10 percent of abused children speak up. And that the Child Rescue Coalition partners closely with law enforcement to stop predators and perpetrators, because many can abuse an average of 50-100 children over the course of their lives.

The Child Rescue Coalition has already found more than 9,000 predators and saved 2,000 children from a life of sexual exploitation. The organization also offers its tracking services (which isolate IP addresses trading in child pornography) to local authorities for free.