Reuters – Nita Bhalla
“U.S. President Barack Obama raised the issue of women’s rights as he ended a visit to India on Tuesday, saying that if countries wanted to develop effectively, they must educate and empower their daughters as much as their sons. “We know from experience that nations are more successful when their women are successful,” said Obama, speaking at a meeting attended mainly by students and broadcast live on local news television stations. “This is one of the most direct measures of whether a nation is going to develop effectively – how it treats its women. When a girl goes to school, it doesn’t just open up her young mind, it benefits all of us,” he said. “Maybe some day she’ll start her own business, or invent a new technology or cure a disease. And when women are able to work, families are healthier, communities are wealthier, and entire countries are more prosperous.” Gender equality has gained greater public attention in India since the notorious gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus in December 2012.”(more)