Whatever certain right-wing columnists might have to say on the matter, Emma Watson undoubtedly takes her role as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador seriously. Fresh from announcing a new #HeForShe initiative aimed at promoting gender equality in universities, the actress and activist has unveiled a new short film about the obstacles that women have faced and overcome.
‘Excited to show you this small film I helped make. Hope it gets you going!’ she wrote as she posted the clip to her Twitter account.
Titled ‘Hurdles,’ the two-minute film opens with Emma telling viewers that ‘women and girls have always faced hurdles, but that’s never stopped us.’
Over footage from the women’s 100 metre hurdles final at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the actress continues.
‘We have sacrificed, fought, campaigned, succeeded, been knocked back and succeeded again. In a race for justice, we’ve leapt over countless obstacles to win our rights. Women didn’t have the right to vote, were excluded from education, were not paid fairly for their work and had no voice in political leadership.’
The film goes on to stress just how far we have come in the fight for gender equality, with milestone achievements emphasised in the text on-screen: 192 countries worldwide have given women the right to vote, 21 countries have female Heads of State and 60 countries have passed legislation that will help us move towards equal pay.
However, Emma’s film is far from complacent, highlighting the problems and injustices that are still ongoing: 15 million child brides will be married every year, 62 million girls are still out of school, and one in three women still experience violence.
As the actress goes on to remind us, ‘there are many huge and high hurdles left to jump.’
‘The race is still on, every day of every year of our lives, but we will cross the finishing line. No one can stop us.’
Watch Hurdles in full below
READ MORE: Emma Watson Delivers Powerful Speech On Campus Rape