Speaking at the the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions, Jimmy Carter argues that the plight of abused women is made more acceptable by the mandated subservience of women by religious leaders.

The 2009 Parliament of World's Religions was held in Melbourne in early December. Jimmy Carter addressed the conference via video message on the 'Religious Imperative for the Equality of Women and Girls'.

Quoting The Elders' statement on discriminatory religious and traditional practices, he reiterated his desire that the "leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share."

You can read the full text of the speech on the Carter Center website.

First held in Chicago in 1893, the Parliament of the World’s Religions brings together the world’s religious and spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious understanding and cooperation.