‘US working hard to combat violence against women’

In view of increased instances of rape cases, including the horrific Delhi gang-rape, the US said that it will continue to make protection of women’s rights a strong tenet of its foreign policy.

Clinton, who has not been keeping well for the last few weeks, is aware of the Delhi gang-rape case, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland had said yesterday.

“I’m sure she’s aware of it. It’s, as you know, had enormous press and it’s a subject that is very close to her heart,” she said.

“We have followed this horrific course of events.

Ambassador Powell (US Ambassador to India) put out a statement on the 29th after the victim died from this assault, offering our heartfelt condolences and our absolute abhorrence of these events,” she said.

“We have as a government worked very hard around the world with regard to combating violence against women. We have a number of programmes, including programmes in India in public education, in support for NGOs that help women who are victims of violence, including domestic violence.

“...And we will continue to make this a strong tenet of our foreign policy wherever there is a problem, and unfortunately, there are problems in countries around the world, including our own,” she said.

The US, she said, has a long and strong relationship with the Government of India and with a broad cross-section of Indian NGOs on combating violence against women.

“Obviously, if the result of the investigation into this case indicates that the Indian Government wants to make changes or go in a different set of directions with regard to those programmes, we’d be interested in talking to them about it,” she said.

“Our goal is, whether it’s in India or anywhere else, to help strengthen all of the public and private organisations that are working to combat violence against women,” Nuland said in response to a question.

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