Kerry Kennedy, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, applauded Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her work as an advocate for women’s rights across the globe.
“She’s been incredible,” Kennedy said Tuesday on Jansing & Co. “You know, she was the first person to say in Beijing that women’s rights are human rights, and before that—it seems so normal now—that was a revolutionary thing to say. Before that, women’s rights really were not on the international agenda and now it is at the forefront.”
Secretary Clinton will step down from her post when President Obama’s first term ends in January. Clinton has said she will not run for president in 2016 after rampant speculation about her post-Secretary of State plans.
With the U.S. pulling out of Afghanistan, Kennedy said her organization was worried about what that may mean for the status of women, but added that under Secretary Clinton’s leadership, 40% of women are graduating from grade school in that country.
“It’s going to be hard for them to turn back on that”, she said.
When asked how to keep women’s rights in the forefront, Kennedy insisted that the most important thing to do is empower women. “Educating girls, making sure that women are in positions of power—both in the corporate world and in the political world—is very very important. “
Tracy Mitchell