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Watson, 24, a goodwill ambassador for U.N. Women, used
International Women's Day to add impetus to the HeForShe
campaign that was launched in September last year and encourages
men and boys to join the fight for equal rights.
So far around 240,000 men have pledged their commitment online,
according to the HeForShe website, including U.S. President
Barack Obama and actor Matt Damon, but there is a target to
mobilize one billion men and boys by July this year.
"There has been a ground swell of support but we need more men
to take a stand for gender equality," Watson told a discussion
on gender equality at Facebook's London headquarters.
"Men often think that feminism is a women's word ... but if you
stand for gender equality, you are a feminist."
Watson, who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter
films, said the campaign was not about men saving women and also
called upon women to support the campaign.
"It's uncomfortable and awkward for women to acknowledge there
is a problem, but we need to understand we are complicit," she
said.
The actress said she was pleased with the response to the IMPACT
10X10X10 initiative, a one-year pilot project launched in
January seeking commitments from governments, companies and
universities on women's empowerment and gender equality.
Several countries, including Sweden, the Netherlands and Sierra
Leone, have backed the campaign, Watson said.
When asked about gender equality on a global scale, Watson
praised the power of social media to allow girls and women to
interact with others who can provide advice and support.
Audience members chosen by U.N. Women to attend the event
submitted their stories online of what they had done to advance
gender equality.
Jacob Anderson, 24, a Swedish designer, said he was an active
supporter of women's rights on online forums and social media.
"Gender equality should be talked about far more than it
currently is ... it doesn't make sense that women and men don't
have equal rights," Anderson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation
at the event in London.
(Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
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