"There is no escape for women from the burden of creation, but beyond the demands of Nature, she has been mercilessly exploited by man ever since the freer sex tracked his prey, fulfilled his appetites, served his dreams and could always return to the woman, welcome and forgiven.
It is time we accorded women the respect, the gratitude, the recognition and protection we owe them.
It is not for nothing that there is an ancient code of chivalry, nor can we deny the often superior gift of women, their commitment to the future, their sense of reality, nor their compassion and loyalty.
Today, the measure of a civilization, of a civilized society, is surely the treatment it accords its women. By this supreme standard many civilizations are failing dismally.
You will hear tonight the voices of those who suffered at our hands, the songs of those who have forgiven us when we do not deserve to be forgiven.
These voices, the voices of our conscience, will go to our hearts".
