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Hilary [er, the Sec. of State]....on women

Whatever one might think of Hilary Clinton, she certainly isn't shy in coming forward in saying her piece.

Writing for the TimesOnLine, the Secretary of State proclaims that the position of women is at the heart of US foreign policy:

"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."

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