The Guardian: Barack Obama in Kenya: ‘no excuse’ for treating women as second-class citizens
“Barack Obama wrapped up his visit to Kenya on Sunday with a strong condemnation of female genital mutilation and other ‘bad traditions’ that treat women as second-class citizens, in a speech that also a offered a poignant glimpse into his African heritage…” (Smith, 7/26).

Huffington Post: Obama In Kenya: Female Genital Mutilation Not Defensible As Cultural Tradition
“… ‘Treating women as second-class citizens is a bad tradition: it holds you back,’ Obama said while speaking to a crowd of 4,500 people who convened at a sports arena in Nairobi. ‘There’s no excuse for sexual assault or domestic violence, there’s no reason that young girls should suffer genital mutilation, there’s no place in a civilized society for the early or forced marriage of children. These traditions may go back centuries; they have no place in the 21st century.’ Whether intended or not, Obama actually chose an opportune moment to tackle the issue of FGM specifically…” (Goldberg, 7/29).

VOA Zimbabwe: Obama Address To Africa Strikes Code With Women
“…In his speech [at the African Union], the U.S. president also said his country would support women’s programs that focused on sexual abuse and domestic violence. ‘If you want to empower women, America will be your partner. Let’s work together to stop sexual assault and domestic violence. Let’s make clear that we will not tolerate rape as weapon of war — it is a crime and those who commit it must be punished,’ said President Obama said to a loud applause…” (Mhlanga-Nyahuye, 7/30).