Tyler Perry Will Use His Studio Space To House Battered Women And Sex-Trafficking Survivors
Published
Actor and producer Tyler Perry has opened his doors to help abused women and children who are in need of safe housing.
The global pandemic has meant struggle and heartache for millions of families, with business closures, job losses, and people being pushed further towards the poverty line. Then there are other knock-on effects that being in lockdown means for people, such as an increase in domestic abuse and people being in physical danger, with there being various socialising restrictions in place.
The star had already revealed his intentions to help towards the end of 2019, and the issue arose again during an interview with Variety, where he discussed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and the state of US politics. Domestic abuse is something that goes largely unheard and unnoticed – as UNILAD reported last year.
‘You know what, right now I’m dreaming about, how do I build this shelter for trafficked girls, boys and battered women?’ he revealed last October to Essence.
Speaking in late 2019 about the initiative to help children and adults who are victims of abuse, he unveiled plans to help them:
Having a compound that is a beautiful place right here somewhere on this 330 acres, where they’re trained in the business and they become self-sufficient, they live in nice apartments, there’s daycare, there’s all of these wonderful things that allows them to re-enter society and then pay it forward again. That’s what I hope to do soon.
Variety touched upon his exemplary work to offer assistance to women, writing, ‘Outside politics, Perry is focused on creating a better future for the local Atlanta community, with plans to use his studio space to house battered women, displaced LGBTQ+ youth and sex-trafficking survivors and introduce them to the inner workings of the entertainment industry.’
Perry told Variety, ‘I don’t know if people really realise how important it is for young Black and Brown children to be able to see examples of what it means to be successful outside of what they see in the neighbourhoods.’
Referring to his traumas and hardship as a kid, he said, ‘Growing up, for me the only people that were doing well were the pimps and the preacher. And now to be able to set an example for kids that there are other options outside of sports and what everybody tells you – ‘These are the only things you can do’ – [is important].’
‘You can be CEO; you can run a studio; you can use everything you have to help someone else,’ which links back to his current plight to save as many as possible from the horrors of domestic abuse and sex trafficking.
It’s not the first time Perry has gone out of his way to help others using his wealth and profile. Back in 2009, he famously sponsored a trip for 65 kids to Disney World, after hearing the group had been shunned by a suburban swimming club.
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Topics: Celebrity, domestic abuse, lockdown, Now, Shelter, Tyler Perry
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