During her trip to Africa with daughter Chelsea, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has continuously stressed that the plight of women, their pains and triumphs, worldwide are a natural point for forging a new relationship between the United States and Africa. During her trip to Tanzania, where an international tribunal is investigating crimes against women during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Rodham Clinton met with 25 girls who had just climbed Africa’s highest mountain. While in Rwanda, the First Lady visited the international criminal tribunal and took part in a discussion regarding sex crimes. She taped a radio address on the issue which was broadcast throughout Rwanda.
Rodham Clinton also attended a roundtable discussion concerning regarding the status of Tanzanian women. She attended a similar discussion last week in Zimbabwe where the women reported the similar complaint that they were oppressed by a patriarchal social system. The women in both countries described prevalent sexual abuse, a lack of education, and a need for better reproductive health care. Rodham Clinton commented that while women in the U.S. enjoyed greater freedoms, “[they still confront] cultural, psychological and social obstacles” that diminish their self-confidence. She also said that African American and American women could learn a great deal from each other if they exchanged their life experiences.
