News

The ground is fertile for change: Emma Watson's passionate, powerful speech at Davos

Written by : TNM

The News Minute| January 24, 2015| 11.45 pm IST

"I've had my breath taken away when a fan told me that since watching my speech she has stopped herself being beaten up by her father," actor Emma Watson said during her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.

The actor, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Women, had launched the #HeForShe campaign in September, and was briefing the economic summit about the massive response the campaign got.

In an emotional speech, Watson called out to girls, parents, husbands, CEOs and others to think if they have been treating women fairly.

She took teh names of international celebrities who have helped the campaign including Desmond Tutu, Hilary Clinton and Prince Harry.

"I've been stunned by the amount of men in my life that have contacted me since my speech to tell me to keep going, and that they want to make sure that their daughters will still be alive to see a world where women have parity, economically and politically."

The actor added a touch of humor by adding that she wished she could claim the success was because of her speech making abilities, but she knew it was actually because the ground was fertile for change.

From ‘strong support’ to ‘let’s debate it’: The shifting stance of RSS on reservations

7 years after TN teen was raped and dumped in a well, only one convicted

Marathwada: In Modi govt’s farm income success stories, ‘fake’ pics and ‘invisible’ women

How Chandrababu Naidu’s Singapore vision for Amaravati has got him in a legal tangle

If Prajwal Revanna isn’t punished, he will do this again: Rape survivor’s sister speaks up