Oh, I'm sure the usual suspects will be along shortly to tell you it's all feminism's fault and that you really shouldn't worry your pretty little head about it.
There's no excuse for anyone threatening anything against Emma Watson in response to her speech.
No, you can't turn the blame onto jesaya or any other person who identifies as a feminist. It is not their responsibility to police other people who call themselves feminists.
Well, if regular feminists are okay with people misrepresenting feminism, then that's fine. It doesn't bother me.
The only problem with Emma Watson's speech is that is was too general. Making it more likely that nothing will happen. Probably better tackled one sub-topic at a time.
She mentioned her income. She thinks she has parity. Was that sarcasm?
Pay would be a good place for her to start.
When you are standing on stage at the UN questioning why the word feminism has become something women are distancing themselves from and pleading for men to join i would have thought "policing" what other feminists do was the problem that needs addressing.
One argument that's been forward in some areas is rubbish collectors (mainly men and often called binmen) get paid more than lunchtime assistants (mainly women and often called dinnerladies.) However, strong women are perfectly entitled to apply for rubbish collector roles and men who are good with children are perfectly entitled to apply for lunchtime assistant roles, so is it really gender discrimination that's the debate or whether lunchtime assistants are undervalued?
Then look at newsreaders, if you've got a 35 yr old woman (with 10 years experience in journalism) alongside a 50 yr old man (with 25 years experience in journalism) presenting the same new program is it really gender discrimination if the man earns more than the woman? I say no BUT giving inexperienced female journalists senior roles on screen while experienced female journalists get pushed in to off-screen roles with the reverse applying to men is gender discrimination.
On the one hand you have the TUC who seem to have a whole dept camaigning against an unfair Gender Pay Gap, and then on the other hand you have a section of the population who do not even accept that there is an unfair Gender Pay Gap!
Huh?
There have been studies looking at pay within professions. I would expect to see Swings and Roundabouts in such examinations. But it does seem that it is almost always Men who are paid much more than Women. Why are full time Male Quantity surveyors paid 31% more than full time Female Quantity surveyors??
Do Women suffer to the tune of 31% as a result of Maternity Leave? When was the last time you heard someone say about a Male colleague: "It is such a shame! He didn't get that promotion because he took 5 months Maternity Leave."
I have suggested that Emma starts with pay because Pay is not a Concept. It is tangible.
...I have suggested that Emma starts with pay because Pay is not a Concept. It is tangible.
TBH, that seems a bit like polishing the windows while your house is on fire.
I get that there is still a certain amount of inequality in the western world but while we're going around and around, making things slightly better in European countries with each pass, we're still ignoring the billions of women in other countries who have very few rights at all.
You can't fault her for wanting the stuff she did mention but it's rather saddening that we already have a sort of "95% complete" situation here and we're going to end up worrying about getting the final 5% sorted while half the world is still stuck at 0% with very little hope of improvement.
TBH, that seems a bit like polishing the windows while your house is on fire.
I get that there is still a certain amount of inequality in the western world but while we're going around and around, making things slightly better in European countries with each pass, we're still ignoring the billions of women in other countries who have very few rights at all.
You can't fault her for wanting the stuff she did mention but it's rather saddening that we already have a sort of "95% complete" situation here and we're going to end up worrying about getting the final 5% sorted while half the world is still stuck at 0% with very little hope of improvement.
Emma wants to tackle the fire. I have suggested bite size chunks.
I totally agree with your sense of World perspective. But....the reason why the Gender Pay Gap seems important (to me) is because previous threads right here on this forum have suggested (and not just on DS) that there is a section of the population who do not accept that there is a Gender Pay Gap!
If we cannot get beyond that (WTF?) what hope is there of a nuanced conversation about all the other bite size chunks that Emma is going to tackle.
So am I hinting at Male resistance/skepticism that is "part of this problem"?
Yes I am.
How common is it for women to only take a few months for maternity leave, though? Is it not still common to take time off for significantly longer periods of time (genuine question as I don't actually know)?
.
It seems to me that men taking a share of Maternity Leave is a slowish trend. I would love to see some statistics.
When an ambitious woman takes her maternity leave does she switch off her Blackberry/smart phone? Does she stop looking at the endless stream of work e-mail? I don't think she does.
I think it is entirely possible for her to "stay current" and to catch up quickly when she returns to work.
I don't accept that childbirth is a reason for promotion to be less likely a couple of years later.
Does an employee without children who "works from home" for a year because a particular project makes that a sensible option, need to accept that they may have destroyed their promotion prospects?
and then on the other hand you have a section of the population who do not even accept that there is an unfair Gender Pay Gap!
...
Why are full time Male Quantity surveyors paid 31% more than full time Female Quantity surveyors??
I can't post the exact details on here but I've seen evidence of an unfair gender pay gap relating to people between the ages of 18-30 in the marketing industry where it's actually the female employees who get offered higher starting salaries or more frequent pay rises compared to equally well qualified males. In the grand sale of things a male on £16,000 when an equally well qualified female is on £18,000 wouldn't make any noticeable impact on the overall averages if your claim about male surveyors earning 31% more than female counterparts is correct. However, completely eradicating any gender equality may mean some male employees would need to be given pay rises unless some female employees would need to take pay cuts.
LOL talk about clutching at straws. Let's not discuss the whole speech just the bits that we can use and twist to fit our agenda. Let's spout the same old rubbish about the evil of feminazis but let's not do anything at all to change society just make YouTube videos. How insightful.
What bits? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZKeqenZbJk
There was no content to speech, it was a high school level speech with laughable anecdotes about how oppressed her fellow white princess class friends are in britain, it was laughable. He for she? How about She for He, sounds rather like "traditional values" once you reverse it, telling you just how much about "equality" it is. Emma just demands men come out as white knights, and at this point its just a horrible joke of a demand.
You have grown women lying on the bbc, yelling in the face of young men who just bring up a simple point about the actual numbers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guoipmk-YYw
And feminists wonder why there is a problem with their brand... its just not honest.
She's a young lass, maybe saying a speech to the UN was a little bit too much to cut her teeth on. That's a big ask. Emma is an intelligent women, but as speeches go, maybe she should have cut her teeth public speaking on a slightly lower platform.
I'm not being sexist, but the UN is the top of the tree.
I personally don't think that she has the debating talent to speak for the UN.
Her Speech proved to me. You don't stand up & talk about playing games & feeling a bit put out as a girl.
You stand up if your with the UN about FGM, How most participants of Islam advocate subjugation of women.....The women you want equality for Emma but are too scared to mention Islam.
So, basically, us Western men are bastards, because we'll take it and not make you disappear in the name of honour!
It wasn't exactly clear what you were talking about.
So you talking about the current scheme, which government ministers have already admitted isn't effective and have a replacement scheme lined up to start next April.
She's a young lass, maybe saying a speech to the UN was a little bit too much to cut her teeth on. That's a big ask. Emma is an intelligent women, but as speeches go, maybe she should have cut her teeth public speaking on a slightly lower platform.
I'm not being sexist, but the UN is the top of the tree.
I personally don't think that she has the debating talent to speak for the UN.
Her Speech proved to me. You don't stand up & talk about playing games & feeling a bit put out as a girl.
You stand up if your with the UN about FGM, How most participants of Islam advocate subjugation of women.....The women you want equality for Emma but are too scared to mention Islam.
So, basically, us Western men are bastards, because we'll take it and not make you disappear in the name of honour!
Yea she exemplified the problem with western feminism, she had to find problems where there were none in order to condemn western men. This is the standard play of feminism in the west which has toxified their brand amongst so many people.
Most people don't ignore them though and then they end up hijacking feminism for their own ends. So by ignoring them you are allowing them to influence other people's opinions of feminism and, most likely, turning a lot of otherwise sympathetic people away from it.
I wasn't saying I ignored them - I was suggesting others did if they found it too annoying to engage with them... because there are plenty of feminists who they will be able to engage with. I have spent considerable time over 4 decades challenging radical feminists at conferences, meetings and in print and will continue to do so.
She's a young lass, maybe saying a speech to the UN was a little bit too much to cut her teeth on. That's a big ask. Emma is an intelligent women, but as speeches go, maybe she should have cut her teeth public speaking on a slightly lower platform.
I'm not being sexist, but the UN is the top of the tree.
I personally don't think that she has the debating talent to speak for the UN.
Her Speech proved to me. You don't stand up & talk about playing games & feeling a bit put out as a girl.
You stand up if your with the UN about FGM, How most participants of Islam advocate subjugation of women.....The women you want equality for Emma but are too scared to mention Islam.
So, basically, us Western men are bastards, because we'll take it and not make you disappear in the name of honour!
She explained why she was a feminist - and all the things she mentioned are valid reasons... because they all demonstrated that even in a society that has progressed as far as ours, there are still pressures on women to conform. She also explained that the same applies to men - they too are pressurised to conform, even when they don't want to. There is still a way to go in the West to reach a place where every individual can be the person they want to be, regardless of their gender.
She then went on to talk about the issues for women and girls in places like Africa and Asia - where she has visited as UN ambassador - and where so much more needs doing... and that is what the campaign is aimed at.
As for her speech - it was simple, reflective and honest. What we need is less politics and more straightforward messages - it was pitched exactly right as a launch... and the reception it has received demonstrated that. Her public speaking skills are not that slick (although giving a speech like that is nerve-racking the first few times).. but I'd rather hear someone be nervous and speak from the heart than a polished delivery from someone who I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them.
Why is it that people automatically assume that the word misogyny and patriarchal thinking is limited only to men?
The use of my words patriarchal societies is in the sense of this is not a backward third world country or a country were women are deemed as second class citizens. This is a supposedly forward thinking and enlightened society but these views are still very much prevalent.
In my humble masculine opinion, for what it's worth, feminism is as necessary now as it ever was. We still need courageous young women like Emma Watson to stand up and speak out against sexist attitudes and call for greater equality. We may live in a first world country here in Britain, and we may well have legislation in place that outlaws gender discrimination, but it still goes on.
It was only last year that Angelina Jolie also addressed the United Nations on a women's issue: The subject of rape in warfare.
Angelina Jolie appeared before the men in suits and welcomed a UN deal to tackle rape and sexual violence as weapons of war.
As a result of her speaking out, the G8 nations pledged £23 million to provide measures to prevent sexual violence and ensure justice for sufferers. Peanuts, but it’s a start. This measure was partly due to the efforts of British former Conservative Party leader William Hague at the time of Britain’s Chairmanship of the G8, but he was prompted down this road by Jolie.
The scale of this problem has been ignored by world leaders in the past. I read that over the last 20 years, 250’000 women have alleged rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Hundreds of thousands in Rwanda, tens of thousands in Kosovo. Figures for Afghanistan and Iraq have not been made available. I wonder why.
So, why did it become an issue once Jolie got involved? Well, a stunningly beautiful actress puts pearls behind a podium and she gets airtime. She used that to scold the audience for “The international political will that has been sorely lacking”.
Under the new international convention, rape and sexual violence in conflicts will now constitute war crimes and responsibility is placed on G8 nations to seek out and prosecute grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. We should all fervently hope that they are as good as their word.
Sanctioning rape could be a charge against a military commander at a war crimes tribunal. Amnesties for sexual violence will no longer be included in peace treaties and it was also agreed that training for military police must be improved because they are often the first officials to come into contact with rape survivors.
Jolie declared “The end of impunity” in a speech that was more stateswoman than film star. “Time and again the world has failed to prevent this abuse or held attackers accountable. Perpetrators have learned they can get away with it and the victims have been denied justice. But wartime rape is not inevitable. This violence can be prevented and it must be confronted. For too long, survivors of rape have been the forgotten victims of war, responsible for none of the harm, but bearing the worst of the pain. But today I believe their voices have been heard and that we, finally, have some hope to offer them.”
She then turned to the Ministers lined up behind her and told them: “The world will be watching.”
She then went on: “It is encouraging to see men in leadership positions speaking out against rape. It is not just a woman’s issue, or a humanitarian issue, it is a global issue and it belongs here at the top table of international decision making.”
Representatives of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Canada, USA and Japan added their voices to the resolution and William Hague said that sexual violence in conflict was “The slave trade of our generation. This is a turning point in our history.” Time will tell
So it is clear that when a woman of stature gets up at the podium and speaks out, people in important positions listen.
I hope that Emma Watson's speech does make a difference. I hope she does achieve something.
What she did will inevitably attract the trolls, the morons and the vindictive individuals that pervade our society and I'm sure she knew that from the outset. But she did it anyway and all the more power to her for that.
But hopefully, her words will resonate with people who are in positions of power and can make things happen. I reckon Emma Watson would shrug off the crass stupidity of the lowlifes and focus on the good she is doing.
I hope that women recognise that the vast, overwhelming majority of men are not misogynists. Most of us are scornful and contemptuous of those men who are.
In my humble masculine opinion, for what it's worth, feminism is as necessary now as it ever was. We still need courageous young women like Emma Watson to stand up and speak out against sexist attitudes and call for greater equality. We may live in a first world country here in Britain, and we may well have legislation in place that outlaws gender discrimination, but it still goes on.
It was only last year that Angelina Jolie also addressed the United Nations on a women's issue: The subject of rape in warfare.
Angelina Jolie appeared before the men in suits and welcomed a UN deal to tackle rape and sexual violence as weapons of war.
As a result of her speaking out, the G8 nations pledged £23 million to provide measures to prevent sexual violence and ensure justice for sufferers. Peanuts, but it’s a start. This measure was partly due to the efforts of British former Conservative Party leader William Hague at the time of Britain’s Chairmanship of the G8, but he was prompted down this road by Jolie.
The scale of this problem has been ignored by world leaders in the past. I read that over the last 20 years, 250’000 women have alleged rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Hundreds of thousands in Rwanda, tens of thousands in Kosovo. Figures for Afghanistan and Iraq have not been made available. I wonder why.
So, why did it become an issue once Jolie got involved? Well, a stunningly beautiful actress puts pearls behind a podium and she gets airtime. She used that to scold the audience for “The international political will that has been sorely lacking”.
Under the new international convention, rape and sexual violence in conflicts will now constitute war crimes and responsibility is placed on G8 nations to seek out and prosecute grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. We should all fervently hope that they are as good as their word.
Sanctioning rape could be a charge against a military commander at a war crimes tribunal. Amnesties for sexual violence will no longer be included in peace treaties and it was also agreed that training for military police must be improved because they are often the first officials to come into contact with rape survivors.
Jolie declared “The end of impunity” in a speech that was more stateswoman than film star. “Time and again the world has failed to prevent this abuse or held attackers accountable. Perpetrators have learned they can get away with it and the victims have been denied justice. But wartime rape is not inevitable. This violence can be prevented and it must be confronted. For too long, survivors of rape have been the forgotten victims of war, responsible for none of the harm, but bearing the worst of the pain. But today I believe their voices have been heard and that we, finally, have some hope to offer them.”
She then turned to the Ministers lined up behind her and told them: “The world will be watching.”
She then went on: “It is encouraging to see men in leadership positions speaking out against rape. It is not just a woman’s issue, or a humanitarian issue, it is a global issue and it belongs here at the top table of international decision making.”
Representatives of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Canada, USA and Japan added their voices to the resolution and William Hague said that sexual violence in conflict was “The slave trade of our generation. This is a turning point in our history.” Time will tell
So it is clear that when a woman of stature gets up at the podium and speaks out, people in important positions listen.
I hope that Emma Watson's speech does make a difference. I hope she does achieve something.
What she did will inevitably attract the trolls, the morons and the vindictive individuals that pervade our society and I'm sure she knew that from the outset. But she did it anyway and all the more power to her for that.
But hopefully, her words will resonate with people who are in positions of power and can make things happen. I reckon Emma Watson would shrug off the crass stupidity of the lowlifes and focus on the good she is doing.
I hope that women recognise that the vast, overwhelming majority of men are not misogynists. Most of us are scornful and contemptuous of those men who are.
What she did will inevitably attract the trolls, the morons and the vindictive individuals that pervade our society and I'm sure she knew that from the outset. But she did it anyway and all the more power to her for that.
But hopefully, her words will resonate with people who are in positions of power and can make things happen. I reckon Emma Watson would shrug off the crass stupidity of the lowlifes and focus on the good she is doing.
I hope that women recognise that the vast, overwhelming majority of men are not misogynists. Most of us are scornful and contemptuous of those men who are.
We're with you, girls.
I support tackling misogynistic principles and ideologies around the world where there is a desire by the Government in power to uphold a patriarchy and deny equal rights. I also support reason, logic, open debate, science and scrutiny which is why I cannot agree with some of the things being said by Everyday Sexism, Mumsnet, Anita Sarkeesian, Zoe Quinn and their "white knights" where their assertions are at odds with science - particularly sexual dimorphism, based on misuse of statistics and in some cases, censorship and failure to debate and rebut is made clear from the start.
As with the Queen, I must politely decline to Emma Watson's request to bend at the knee to be knighted.
Comments
There's no excuse for anyone threatening anything against Emma Watson in response to her speech.
Well, if regular feminists are okay with people misrepresenting feminism, then that's fine. It doesn't bother me.
She mentioned her income. She thinks she has parity. Was that sarcasm?
Pay would be a good place for her to start.
Pay's a difficult one to tackle.
One argument that's been forward in some areas is rubbish collectors (mainly men and often called binmen) get paid more than lunchtime assistants (mainly women and often called dinnerladies.) However, strong women are perfectly entitled to apply for rubbish collector roles and men who are good with children are perfectly entitled to apply for lunchtime assistant roles, so is it really gender discrimination that's the debate or whether lunchtime assistants are undervalued?
Then look at newsreaders, if you've got a 35 yr old woman (with 10 years experience in journalism) alongside a 50 yr old man (with 25 years experience in journalism) presenting the same new program is it really gender discrimination if the man earns more than the woman? I say no BUT giving inexperienced female journalists senior roles on screen while experienced female journalists get pushed in to off-screen roles with the reverse applying to men is gender discrimination.
Yes - it is difficult.
On the one hand you have the TUC who seem to have a whole dept camaigning against an unfair Gender Pay Gap, and then on the other hand you have a section of the population who do not even accept that there is an unfair Gender Pay Gap!
Huh?
There have been studies looking at pay within professions. I would expect to see Swings and Roundabouts in such examinations. But it does seem that it is almost always Men who are paid much more than Women. Why are full time Male Quantity surveyors paid 31% more than full time Female Quantity surveyors??
Do Women suffer to the tune of 31% as a result of Maternity Leave? When was the last time you heard someone say about a Male colleague: "It is such a shame! He didn't get that promotion because he took 5 months Maternity Leave."
I have suggested that Emma starts with pay because Pay is not a Concept. It is tangible.
TBH, that seems a bit like polishing the windows while your house is on fire.
I get that there is still a certain amount of inequality in the western world but while we're going around and around, making things slightly better in European countries with each pass, we're still ignoring the billions of women in other countries who have very few rights at all.
You can't fault her for wanting the stuff she did mention but it's rather saddening that we already have a sort of "95% complete" situation here and we're going to end up worrying about getting the final 5% sorted while half the world is still stuck at 0% with very little hope of improvement.
Emma wants to tackle the fire. I have suggested bite size chunks.
I totally agree with your sense of World perspective. But....the reason why the Gender Pay Gap seems important (to me) is because previous threads right here on this forum have suggested (and not just on DS) that there is a section of the population who do not accept that there is a Gender Pay Gap!
If we cannot get beyond that (WTF?) what hope is there of a nuanced conversation about all the other bite size chunks that Emma is going to tackle.
So am I hinting at Male resistance/skepticism that is "part of this problem"?
Yes I am.
It seems to me that men taking a share of Maternity Leave is a slowish trend. I would love to see some statistics.
When an ambitious woman takes her maternity leave does she switch off her Blackberry/smart phone? Does she stop looking at the endless stream of work e-mail? I don't think she does.
I think it is entirely possible for her to "stay current" and to catch up quickly when she returns to work.
I don't accept that childbirth is a reason for promotion to be less likely a couple of years later.
Does an employee without children who "works from home" for a year because a particular project makes that a sensible option, need to accept that they may have destroyed their promotion prospects?
I can't post the exact details on here but I've seen evidence of an unfair gender pay gap relating to people between the ages of 18-30 in the marketing industry where it's actually the female employees who get offered higher starting salaries or more frequent pay rises compared to equally well qualified males. In the grand sale of things a male on £16,000 when an equally well qualified female is on £18,000 wouldn't make any noticeable impact on the overall averages if your claim about male surveyors earning 31% more than female counterparts is correct. However, completely eradicating any gender equality may mean some male employees would need to be given pay rises unless some female employees would need to take pay cuts.
I can confirm it's 0% at present as the scheme starts in April 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-how-mums-and-dads-can-use-new-shared-parental-leave-system
No - It's being extended in 2015.
The current scheme was introduced in 2011.
And some very basic stats here!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22924708
What bits?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZKeqenZbJk
There was no content to speech, it was a high school level speech with laughable anecdotes about how oppressed her fellow white princess class friends are in britain, it was laughable. He for she? How about She for He, sounds rather like "traditional values" once you reverse it, telling you just how much about "equality" it is. Emma just demands men come out as white knights, and at this point its just a horrible joke of a demand.
Its simply the truth of modern feminism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kj0e2Hl3tU
That its defended by extremists and the dishonest.
You have grown women lying on the bbc, yelling in the face of young men who just bring up a simple point about the actual numbers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guoipmk-YYw
And feminists wonder why there is a problem with their brand... its just not honest.
I'm not being sexist, but the UN is the top of the tree.
I personally don't think that she has the debating talent to speak for the UN.
Her Speech proved to me. You don't stand up & talk about playing games & feeling a bit put out as a girl.
You stand up if your with the UN about FGM, How most participants of Islam advocate subjugation of women.....The women you want equality for Emma but are too scared to mention Islam.
So, basically, us Western men are bastards, because we'll take it and not make you disappear in the name of honour!
It wasn't exactly clear what you were talking about.
So you talking about the current scheme, which government ministers have already admitted isn't effective and have a replacement scheme lined up to start next April.
Yea she exemplified the problem with western feminism, she had to find problems where there were none in order to condemn western men. This is the standard play of feminism in the west which has toxified their brand amongst so many people.
http://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/2h1m4w/social_justice_warrior_attacking_oculus_rift_dev/
Like that woman, always a demand for concessions, no concern for merit or personal responsibility.
And of course gamergate week 6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS8bjnMlR5A&list=UUWB0dvorHvkQlgfGGJR2yxQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affair
I wasn't saying I ignored them - I was suggesting others did if they found it too annoying to engage with them... because there are plenty of feminists who they will be able to engage with. I have spent considerable time over 4 decades challenging radical feminists at conferences, meetings and in print and will continue to do so.
She explained why she was a feminist - and all the things she mentioned are valid reasons... because they all demonstrated that even in a society that has progressed as far as ours, there are still pressures on women to conform. She also explained that the same applies to men - they too are pressurised to conform, even when they don't want to. There is still a way to go in the West to reach a place where every individual can be the person they want to be, regardless of their gender.
She then went on to talk about the issues for women and girls in places like Africa and Asia - where she has visited as UN ambassador - and where so much more needs doing... and that is what the campaign is aimed at.
As for her speech - it was simple, reflective and honest. What we need is less politics and more straightforward messages - it was pitched exactly right as a launch... and the reception it has received demonstrated that. Her public speaking skills are not that slick (although giving a speech like that is nerve-racking the first few times).. but I'd rather hear someone be nervous and speak from the heart than a polished delivery from someone who I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them.
In my humble masculine opinion, for what it's worth, feminism is as necessary now as it ever was. We still need courageous young women like Emma Watson to stand up and speak out against sexist attitudes and call for greater equality. We may live in a first world country here in Britain, and we may well have legislation in place that outlaws gender discrimination, but it still goes on.
It was only last year that Angelina Jolie also addressed the United Nations on a women's issue: The subject of rape in warfare.
Angelina Jolie appeared before the men in suits and welcomed a UN deal to tackle rape and sexual violence as weapons of war.
As a result of her speaking out, the G8 nations pledged £23 million to provide measures to prevent sexual violence and ensure justice for sufferers. Peanuts, but it’s a start. This measure was partly due to the efforts of British former Conservative Party leader William Hague at the time of Britain’s Chairmanship of the G8, but he was prompted down this road by Jolie.
The scale of this problem has been ignored by world leaders in the past. I read that over the last 20 years, 250’000 women have alleged rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Hundreds of thousands in Rwanda, tens of thousands in Kosovo. Figures for Afghanistan and Iraq have not been made available. I wonder why.
So, why did it become an issue once Jolie got involved? Well, a stunningly beautiful actress puts pearls behind a podium and she gets airtime. She used that to scold the audience for “The international political will that has been sorely lacking”.
Under the new international convention, rape and sexual violence in conflicts will now constitute war crimes and responsibility is placed on G8 nations to seek out and prosecute grave breaches of the Geneva Convention. We should all fervently hope that they are as good as their word.
Sanctioning rape could be a charge against a military commander at a war crimes tribunal. Amnesties for sexual violence will no longer be included in peace treaties and it was also agreed that training for military police must be improved because they are often the first officials to come into contact with rape survivors.
Jolie declared “The end of impunity” in a speech that was more stateswoman than film star. “Time and again the world has failed to prevent this abuse or held attackers accountable. Perpetrators have learned they can get away with it and the victims have been denied justice. But wartime rape is not inevitable. This violence can be prevented and it must be confronted. For too long, survivors of rape have been the forgotten victims of war, responsible for none of the harm, but bearing the worst of the pain. But today I believe their voices have been heard and that we, finally, have some hope to offer them.”
She then turned to the Ministers lined up behind her and told them: “The world will be watching.”
She then went on: “It is encouraging to see men in leadership positions speaking out against rape. It is not just a woman’s issue, or a humanitarian issue, it is a global issue and it belongs here at the top table of international decision making.”
Representatives of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Canada, USA and Japan added their voices to the resolution and William Hague said that sexual violence in conflict was “The slave trade of our generation. This is a turning point in our history.” Time will tell
So it is clear that when a woman of stature gets up at the podium and speaks out, people in important positions listen.
I hope that Emma Watson's speech does make a difference. I hope she does achieve something.
What she did will inevitably attract the trolls, the morons and the vindictive individuals that pervade our society and I'm sure she knew that from the outset. But she did it anyway and all the more power to her for that.
But hopefully, her words will resonate with people who are in positions of power and can make things happen. I reckon Emma Watson would shrug off the crass stupidity of the lowlifes and focus on the good she is doing.
I hope that women recognise that the vast, overwhelming majority of men are not misogynists. Most of us are scornful and contemptuous of those men who are.
We're with you, girls.
Bloody well said
As with the Queen, I must politely decline to Emma Watson's request to bend at the knee to be knighted.
oh the irony
She shouldn't worry her pretty little head about it, eh?
Till she actually knows what isn't written on a script then yes.