Emma Watson addressed the U.N. General Assembly again Tuesday, delivering a powerful speech calling for the reform of campus sexual assault policies.
Watson addressed the same assembly two years ago, calling for men to step up in advancing the cause of gender equality. Watson delivered her remarks this year as she was presenting HeForShe's report on gender equality in worldwide universities.
She called on universities to not only show women that they're valued within the campus community, but within the leadership of the school as well. Watson emphasised and acknowledged her own privilege throughout the speech, calling on other universities to do better when it comes to serving women students. In particular, she asked universities to do more when it comes to the widespread issue of campus sexual assault.
She said that colleges need to “make it clear that the safety of women, minorities and anyone who may be vulnerable, is a right, not a privilege.”
“A university should be a place of refuge that takes action against all forms of violence," Watson said. "That’s why, we believe, that students should leave university believing in, striving for, and expecting societies of true equality…in every sense and that universities have the power to be a vital catalyst for that change."
Watch her remarks below.
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