Melbourne, Aug 9 (IANS): Superstar Shah Rukh Khan received an honorary doctorate degree from Melbourne-based La Trobe University for his contributions and efforts towards underprivileged children and women's empowerment through Meer Foundation besides his achievements in the Indian entertainment industry.

The official Twitter account of the university shared a string of photographs of Shah Rukh and excerpts from his speech.

Shah Rukh has said that he has "experienced firsthand the superficiality of social values that place a woman's appearance before her inner worth."

The university's Twitter account also shared his speech, where he said that the "this is not an award for anything the Meer Foundation might have achieved. It is for the courage of every woman who faces the brutality of injustice, inequality and inhumanity."

"On the way to La trobe University.. Thank you for the kind gesture of offering a scholarship to a girl student from India for higher education and supporting the work at Meer Foundation," the 53-year-old actor shared a photograph of himself on twitter with this caption.

SRK has worked at effecting change at ground level to build a world that empowers women through Meer Foundation, a philanthropic organisation he named after his father Meer Taj Mohammed Khan. One of the key focus areas has been to support the cause of acid attack survivors.