Hillary Clinton: Women are at the heart of US foreign policy

Women are at the heart of US foreign policy
America views the subjugation of women as a threat to our security and the common security of the world
Hillary Clinton


At this moment women are rescuing girls from brothels in Cambodia, campaigning for public office in Kuwait, healing mothers injured in childbirth in Ethiopia, running schools for refugees from Burma and rebuilding homes in the aftermath of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. In cities and villages, countries and continents, women are running domestic violence shelters and fighting human-trafficking. Without recognition or fanfare, and often with little support, women are working to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of all people.

Women around the world have answered a call to action. Fifteen years ago delegates from 189 countries met in Beijing for the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. It was a call to action to the global community to work for the laws, reforms and social change necessary to ensure that women and girls everywhere have the opportunities to fulfill their God-given potential and contribute to the progress and prosperity of their societies.

Their efforts are paying off. Today more girls worldwide are in school. More women hold jobs and serve in public office. And more countries have passed laws recognising women’s equality, although for too many, laws that exist on the books are not yet borne out in their daily lives.

But our progress is far from complete. Women are still the majority of the world’s poor, uneducated, unhealthy and unfed. They are the majority of the world’s farmers, but are often forbidden to own the land they cultivate or to access credit to make those farms profitable. Women care for the world’s sick, but women and girls are less likely to get treatment when they themselves are sick. They rarely cause armed conflicts but always suffer their consequences and are often excluded from peace negotiations. And violence against women remains a global pandemic.

The status of the world’s women is not only a matter of morality and justice. It is also a political, economic and social imperative. The evidence is irrefutable: when women are free to develop their talents and contribute fully to their societies, everyone benefits.

When women are free to vote and run for public office, governments are more effective and responsive to their people. When women are free to earn a living and start small businesses, they become drivers of economic growth. When women are afforded the opportunity of education and access to healthcare, their families and communities prosper. When women have equal rights, nations are more stable, peaceful and secure.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7081844.ece

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