"The entertainment industry has been extremely irresponsible in perpetuating and stereotyping the violent attitudes of men to women," said Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), helping to launch Amnesty International's campaign against attacks on women today in London.

Stewart, who revealed that as a child he had witnessed abusive behaviour on the part of his own parents, took the entertainment business to task for films like Kill Bill, which he called a "lazy and sensationalist approach" to the idea of female empowerment: "All it does is empower a woman to kill other women," he said in a Reuters report at Yahoo! UK.

Stewart reportedly nearly wept as he spoke of his own childhood experiences, when he witnessed his father's drunken rages turn to violence against his mother.

"I saw society - police, doctors and neighbours - conspire to hide the abuse," he stated. "If you fail to raise your hand in protest you are part of the problem."

The film industry, he insisted, has much to be ashamed of in its portrayal of women, saying that he "condemn[s] utterly" films like Kill Bill.

Amnesty projected that one in every three of the world's women has been beaten or otherwise abused, and that one woman in five would suffer an attempted rape.

At the same press conference, The Scotsman reported that Stewart said he regretted roles in which he had perpetuated stereotypes, adding that he has been speaking out for years on this issue.

Asked whether he would ever consider working with Quentin Tarantino, who directed Kill Bill Stewart said he would require a long dialogue with the filmmaker in advance.

Stewart has had a long association with Amnesty International to draw public awareness to a variety of human rights issues. The Yahoo article is here at Yahoo! UK.

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