Headlines
Every woman should be able to walk the street, ride the bus: Obama
US President Barack Obama Tuesday said he was happy to see all the
"incredible" women in the Indian armed forces during the Republic Day
parade, which he said was a sign of great progress of the country.
In
a town hall meeting-style speech at the Siri Fort Auditorium here, his
last engagement before he flew off to Saudi Arabia, the US president
spoke extensively on the important role of women in building society and
also stressed that it is necessary to ensure security to every woman.
Referring
to his wife Michelle, who was in the audience, Obama said: "Michelle is
not afraid to speak her mind or tell me when I am wrong, which happens
very frequently", to loud cheers from the invited audience that
comprised youths, students, NGOs and diplomats. A large percentage of
people in the 2,000-strong audience were young women who repeatedly
cheered Obama.
He said in the US, the government is "still
working to ensure that women and girls have all the opportunities they
deserve", and referred to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has come with
him, as a "role model" of women's empowerment.
Referring to the
"wives and mothers" of India who toil to "hold families and communities
together", Obama said the women have shown that "they can succeed in
everything".
He said the young women of India are standing up and
playing a part in the country's progress. "Nations are more successful
when their women are successful, when girls go to school", he said, and
added that the most direct measure of how successful a nation is how it
treats its women.
"Nations that want to succeed cannot ignore the
talents of half their people," said the US president. Ironically, Obama
was going from India to Saudi Arabia, to condole the death of King
Abdullah, where women have an inferior position to men, are not allowed
to drive or travel unescorted, and have few women in leadership
positions in government or society.
He said the menfolk "as
fathers, husbands and brothers, we have to step up as every girl
deserves as much a chance as the son, every woman should be able to walk
the street and ride the bus (with safety) and be treated with respect,"
he said, in what was seen as a tacit reference to the Dec 16, 2012
gang-rape of a woman aboard a moving bus in Delhi.
The brutal
gang-rape, that led to the eventual death of the 23-year-old woman,
referred to as Nirbhaya, shook the country and led to stricter anti-rape
laws in the country. And the media keeps reporting of news of rape and
molestation of women in public places, particularly in capital Delhi.
Referring
to the many women seen in the march past and the tableaux of the Indian
armed forces, Obama said he was happy to "see all the incredible women
in the Indian armed forces" and referred especially to woman officer
Pooja Thakur of the Indian Air Force who led the guard of honour at
Rashtrapati Bhavan at his official welcoming ceremony.
This he said, is a sign of "great progress".