The News Minute | July 23, 2014 | 09:42 am IST

Los Angeles: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith has taken on cause of sexual assault after a family incident.

Smith is speaking up for rape victims, a cause that nearly hit close to home for the actress, who revealed her niece was recently drugged, though fortunately not assaulted, reports people.com.

The 42-year-old had first addressed the topic of sexual assault earlier this month after the hashtag #justiceforjada started trending following an incident in which a 16-year-old named Jada was drugged and raped.

"My niece was given a date rape drug that weekend. She's 20 years old - thank god nothing happened because she was with some responsible guys that took care of her," she said while at a panel for her upcoming TV series "Gotham".

With IANS