Sterren schrijven brief voor Internationale Vrouwendag

Kritiek moment in de geschiedenis

"We hebben een kritiek moment in onze geschiedenis bereikt. Recente wetgeving heeft tientallen jaren aan ontwikkeling van vrouwen en meisjes ter discussie gesteld." Zo staat er in de brief. "Wij geloven dat verbondenheid ons kracht geeft. Elke stem telt. Iedereen is nodig om bij te dragen aan verandering." 

De open brief is onder andere ondertekend door Beyoncé, Coldplay, John Legend, Julia Roberts en Madonna.

Lees de hele brief hieronder:

"We have reached a critical moment in history. Recent legislation and rhetoric have put decades of progress for girls and women at risk.

In 2013, we joined with CHIME FOR CHANGE to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. Today, we find ourselves under threat of seeing a generation’s worth of hard-won gains reversed.

All over the world, women are on the frontlines fighting for our future. Yet millions of girls and women are still denied basic equal rights. And recent policies and appointments in the United States jeopardize its position as a global leader and positive role model on human rights.

We stand together to say, in a voice louder than ever, that fighting for gender equality is the emergency and the opportunity of our time.

With every generation, our story has spread wider, become more familiar. The voices telling it braver, more powerful. But our story is far from over.

This is about hearing a call - to join us wherever you are. About raising an alarm - drawing attention where there is work to be done. And about celebrating - those who are already showing us, against impossible odds, what is possible.

We believe that connection empowers us. That every voice matters. That each one of us is needed to achieve change. We believe we can do extraordinary things when we come together.

We fight for education. For health. For justice. For every girl. Every woman. Everywhere. We fight for our future. Because none of us can move forward if half of us are held back."