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Your excellencies,

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UN Secretary General,

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President of the General Assembly,

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Executive Director of UN Women,

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and distinguished guests.

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Today, we are launching [br]a campaign called <i>He for She</i>.

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I am reaching out to you [br]because we need your help.

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We want to end gender inequality,

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and to do this,[br]we need everyone involved.

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This is the first campaign [br]of its kind at the UN.

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We want to try and galvanize [br]as many men and boys as possible

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to be advocates for change.

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And we don't just want to talk about it.

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We want to try and make [br]sure that it's tangible.

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I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador [br]for UN Women six months ago.

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And the more I've spoken about feminism,[br]the more I have realized

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that fighting for women's rights[br]has too often become

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synonymous with man-hating.

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If there is one thing I know for certain,

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it is that this has to stop.

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For the record,[br]Feminism, by definition,

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is the belief that men and women [br]should have equal rights

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and opportunities.

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It is the theory [br]of the political, economic,

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and social equality of the sexes.

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I started questioning gender based [br]assumptions a long time ago.

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When I was eight, I was confused[br]about being called "bossy"

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because I wanted to direct the plays[br]that we would put on for our parents.

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But the boys were not.

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When, at 14, I started to be sexualized [br]by certain elements of the media.

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When, at 15, my girlfriends started [br]dropping out of their beloved sports teams

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because they didn't want to appear muscly.

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When, at 18, my male friends [br]were unable to express their feelings...

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I decided that I was a feminist.

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And this seemed uncomplicated to me.

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But my recent research has shown me[br]that feminism has become

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an unpopular word.

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Women are choosing [br]not to identify as feminists.

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Apparently, I am among the ranks of women

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whose expressions are seen [br]as too strong, too aggressive,

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isolating, and anti-men.[br]Unattractive, even.

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Why has the word become [br]such an uncomfortable one?

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I am from Britain,

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and I think it is right that I am paid[br]the same as my male counterparts.

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I think it is right that I should be able [br]to make decisions about my own body.

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- I think--[br]- (raucous applause)

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I think it is right[br]that women be involved,

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on my behalf, in the policies[br]and the decisions that will affect my life.

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I think it is right that, socially,[br]I am afforded the same respect as men.

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But sadly, I can say[br]that there is no one country

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in the world where all women [br]can expect to receive these rights.

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No country in the world [br]can yet say that they have

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achieved gender equality.

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These rights...I consider [br]to be human rights,

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but I am one of the lucky ones.

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My life is a sheer privilege[br]because my parents didn't love me less

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- because I was born a daughter.[br]- (hooting)

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My school did not limit me[br]because I was a girl.

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My mentors didn't assume [br]that I would go less far

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because I might give birth [br]to a child one day.

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These influences, [br]with the Gender Equality Ambassadors

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that made me who I am today...

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they may not know it,[br]but they are the inadvertent feminists

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who are changing the world today.

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We need more of those.

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And if you still hate the word,[br]it is <i>not</i> the word that is important.

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It's the idea and the ambition behind it.

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Because not all women have [br]received the same rights that I have.

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In fact, statistically,[br]very few have been.

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In 1997, Hillary Clinton [br]made a famous speech in Beijing

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about women's rights.

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Sadly, many of the things that she wanted [br]to change are still true today.

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But what stood out for me the most[br]was that less than 30%

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of the audience were male.

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How can we affect change in the world[br]when only half of it is invited,

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or feel welcomed to participate[br]in the conversation?

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Men...

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I would like to take this opportunity[br]to extend your formal invitation.

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(applause)

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Gender equality is your issue too.

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Because, to date,[br]I've seen my father's role

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as a parent being valued less[br]by society, despite

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my needing his presence as a child[br]as much as my mother's.

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I've seen young men [br]suffering from mental illness,

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unable to ask for help,[br]for fear it would make them

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less of a men--[br]or less of a man.

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In fact, in the UK,[br]suicide is the biggest killer of men

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between 20-49, eclipsing road accidents,[br]cancer, and coronary heart disease.

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I've seen men made fragile [br]and insecure by a distorted sense

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of what constitutes male success.

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Men don't have [br]the benefits of equality either.

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We don't often talk about men [br]being imprisoned by gender stereotypes,

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but I can see that they are,

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and that when they are free,[br]things will change for women

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as a natural consequence.

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If men don't have to be aggressive[br]in order to be accepted,

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women won't feel [br]compelled to be submissive.

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If men don't have to control,[br]women won't have to be controlled.

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Both men and women [br]should feel free to be sensitive.

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Both men and women [br]should feel free to be strong.

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It is time that we all perceived[br]gender on a spectrum,

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instead of two sets of opposing ideals.

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(applause)

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(Ms. Watson) If we stop defining [br]each other by what we are not,

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and start defining ourselves [br]by who we are, we can all be freer.

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And this is what <i>He for She</i> is about.

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It's about freedom.

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I want men to take up this mantle,[br]so that their daughters,

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sisters, and mothers [br]can be free from prejudice.

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But also so that their sons have permission[br]to be vulnerable and human too,

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reclaim those parts [br]of themselves they abandoned,

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and, in doing so, be a more true [br]and complete version of themselves.

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You might be thinking,[br]"Who is this Harry Potter girl?"

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- (laughter)[br]- "And what is she doing

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- speaking at the UN?"[br]- And it's a really good question.

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I've been asking myself the same thing.

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All I know is that I care [br]about this problem, and I want

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to make it better.

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And having seen what I've seen,[br]and given the chance,

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I feel it is my responsibility[br]to say something.

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Statesman Edmund Burke said,

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"All that is needed [br]for the forces of evil to triumph

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is for good men and women[br]to do nothing."

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In my nervousness for this speech,[br]and in my moments of doubt,

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I've told myself firmly,

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"If not me, who?"

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"If not now, when?"

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If you have similar doubts [br]when opportunites are presented to you,

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I hope that those words will be helpful

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because...

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the reality is that if we do nothing,[br]it will take 75 years,

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or for me to be nearly 100,[br]before women can expect

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to be paid the same as men.

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For the same work.

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15.5 million girls will be married [br]in the next 16 years as children.

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And, at current rates, it won't be until [br]2086 before all rural African girls

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can have a secondary education.

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If you believe in equality,[br]you might be one of those

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inadvertent feminists [br]that I spoke of earlier.

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And, for this, I applaud you.

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We are struggling for a uniting word,[br]but the good news is that we have

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a uniting movement.

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It is called <i>He for She</i>.

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I am inviting you to step forward,[br]to be seen, and to ask yourself,

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"If not me, who?[br]If not now, when?"

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- Thank you very, very much.[br]- (applause)