Women’s Rights are Human Rights: Hillary's Action Plan

March 16, 2010

Speaking at the United Nations on Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton began with the historic phrase she first used fifteen years ago – and where we must go from here.

Click to watch Hillary's speech

“In 1995, in one voice, the world declared human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights,” Hillary said. “And as hard as we have worked these past 15 years, we have more work to do. So today, let us renew our commitment to finishing the job.... We must declare with one voice that women’s progress is human progress, and human progress is women’s progress, once and for all.”

Hillary explained why this principle is now at the heart of U.S. foreign policy: “The world cannot make lasting progress if women and girls in the 21st century are denied their rights and left behind.... President Obama and I believe that the subjugation of women is a threat to the national security of the United States. It is also a threat to the common security of our world, because the suffering and denial of the rights of women and the instability of nations go hand in hand…”

“Women raise the world’s children, but too often receive inadequate care when they give birth. And as a result, childbirth remains a leading cause of death and injury to women worldwide.”

“Women rarely cause armed conflicts, but they always suffer their consequences.”

“Women and girls are bought and sold to settle debts and resolve disputes. They are raped as both a tactic and a prize of armed conflict.”

To meet these challenges, Hillary has announced major new programs, including increased efforts to end violence against women; the Global Health Initiative, to reduce maternal and child mortality, increase access to family planning and reduce the number of new HIV infections; and the Food Security Initiative, providing more resources for the world’s farmers, the majority of whom are women doing the hardest work in the poorest countries.

“We must measure our progress not by what we say in great venues like this, but in how well we are able to improve the condition of women’s lives, some near at hand who deserve the opportunities many of us take for granted, some in far distant cities and remote villages – women we are not likely ever to meet but whose lives will be shaped by our actions.”

See the video and read the text of Hillary’s historic speech at the United Nations by clicking here.

HELP US SPEAK UP FOR WOMEN'S PROGRESS AND HUMAN DIGNITY

Become a Founding Member of No Limits, and be an active partner to help us get this message out!

As you’ll see on our new website, we have a lot going on – like our new Empowerment Zone for advocates, and regular, members-only conference calls with leading policy makers.

From economic opportunity and equal rights here at home to building alliances and women’s empowerment around the world – we can do so much more when we work together.

Please join us!

DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL, DON’T SERVE YOUR COUNTRY?

More than 13,000 American men and women have been discharged from the United States military because of the infamous “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, including specialists such as Arab language translators, whose skills are badly needed. As Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said: “Each time we discharge a member of our Armed Services just because of who they are, we weaken our military and our national security.”

No Limits Senior Advisor Clay Doherty heard Senator Carl Levin, Chair of the Armed Services Committee, report on efforts to end this discriminatory policy. He reports:

Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, addressed the Human Rights Campaign’s Annual Leadership Summit on March 6, 2010. He discussed the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010, which would repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law.

Senator Levin spoke of his desire to overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but was candid that the votes aren’t there yet. Despite the uphill climb in the Senate, Senator Levin said that he is optimistic, citing the support of Defense Secretary Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen.

If the ban is not lifted, Levin said, he was prepared to introduce legislation that would institute a “stop loss,” preventing any service members from being discharged for being gay. He added that while it was not the ideal option, it would still prevent additional discharges because of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

SENATOR MIKULSKI TAKES THE LEAD ON EQUAL PAY

Assume you work hard every day, and that you are being paid fairly and legally. Now imagine that all of a sudden your salary is cut by almost twenty-five percent. How does that feel? How would it affect you and your family? Now, cut your salary instead by almost a third, and then by more than forty percent.

That’s the circumstance in which millions of American women find themselves. Today, women make on average 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. African American women earn just 69 cents for every dollar and Latinas earn just 59 cents for every dollar a man makes, more than forty percent less.

Fixing these inequities and finally closing the pay gap between women and men was the subject last Thursday of a hearing by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP Committee). Witness after witness testified regarding continued pay inequities and called upon the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that the House of Representatives passed overwhelmingly last year.

The Paycheck Fairness Act – sponsored by Senator Barbara Mikulski in the Senate and in the House by Representative Rosa DeLauro (and introduced by then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in January of last year) – would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages. The bill would also enable women to receive the same remedies for gender-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those subject to discrimination based on race and national origin.

Yes, we’ve come a long way in reducing the pay gap since President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law in 1963, but pay gaps of twenty-three, thirty-one, and forty-one percent for millions of women show how far we have to go. We need action now.

For more information about the hearing and background on the Paycheck Fairness Act, check out Vice President for Policy Leecia Eve’s blog post here.

CELEBRATING WOMEN LEADERS

It has been quite a week for women! Last Monday was International Women’s Day. Organizations celebrated with conference calls, events, and dedications to women who serve women around the world. This year's theme was Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity, Progress for All and most of the events that were held emphasized those points. For more about International Women’s Week activities, click here.

RECOMMENDED READING

Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Department

Women and Girls are Key to Security

Women’s Rights as a Security Issue

WHAT WE CAN DO

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton is transforming American foreign policy: rebuilding alliances, empowering women, and working to build a safer, more secure world. We can build support for these policies here at home, explaining why an active, engaged America means a better future for all our families.

Join No Limits as a Founding Member. Help us grow the network to make the case!

THE LAST WORD

“The other day I heard The New York Times columnist Nick Kristof.... And he said, you know, in the 19th century, the great moral imperative was the fight against slavery. And in the 20th century, it was the fight against totalitarianism. And in the 21st century, it is the fight for women’s equality.”

- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, March 12, 2010