Rigoberta Menchu Quotes

Congress has been pathetic. Not only did it fail to renew the Violence Against Women Act, but it has also stalled on the global version, the International Violence Against Women Act, which would name and shame foreign countries that tolerate gender violence.

It is only with the passage of the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 that we have been able to put a dent in violence against women, and women have had a place to go.

But it's the men who are attacking the women. If there's to be a curfew, let the men stay home, not the women.

There is no kind of harassment that a man may not inflict on a woman with impunity in civilized societies.

There are six million female lives lost in the world every year simply because they are female.

Hillary Clinton has a strong and powerful voice regarding ending violence against women and girls.

Preventing female infanticide is equally important in protection of women's rights.

In the State of Israel, there are still women who suffer mental and physical violence just because they are women. Many people suffer mental and physical violence, but there is a certain section of the population that harasses women because they are women, and we must fight this vigorously. Anyone who infringes on the rights of women or their freedom, or who works to discriminate against women, works against the principles and ideals of the State of Israel.

The darkest page in history is the persecutions of woman.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries. At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime.

You—the outside world—will be told that it is our “culture” and “religion” to do X, Y, and Z to women. Understand that whoever deemed it as such was never a woman.

You can’t have men hitting women, period.

I'm especially interested in helping to give visibility to the pandemic of violence against women

The notion that somehow women are wildly different infuriates me.

As women are empowered, violence can come down, for a number of reasons. By all measures, men are the more violent gender.

Women have got to make the world safe for men since men have made it so darned unsafe for women.

Nature says women are human beings, men have made religions to deny it. Nature says women are human beings, men cry out no!

A vast majority of Republicans are on the record saying that they believe the Violence Against Women Act should be reauthorized. Let me be clear: I believe that Violence Against Women Act must be reauthorized.

As a human rights issue, the effort to end violence against women becomes a government's obligation, not just a good idea.

I think there is a rage against women. I've come to see that now although at the time I did not notice it. I was preoccupied with my teaching and my writing.

Clever and attractive women do not want to vote; they are willing to let men govern as long as they govern men.

There aren't good roles for women: the female parts aren't developed: the women are serving the men.

I used to not like being called a 'woman architect': I'm an architect, not just a woman architect. Guys used to tap me on the head and say, 'You are okay for a girl.' But I see the incredible amount of need from other women for reassurance that it could be done, so I don't mind that at all.

There is no city or country in the world where women and girls live free of the fear of violence. No leader can claim: 'this is not happening in my backyard.'

I've talked to law enforcement officials at the state and local level who say that violence against women is going up. In any case, we think that it's an important issue whether it's going up or not. And we are determined to stop it.