I’m reaching out to share two urgent human rights campaigns in Afghanistan and Iran that need your support.

Before the Taliban's return to power, Afghan girls, like the one pictured here, were free to attend school. Today, she and millions of others remain shut out of the classroom. (Photo by Jamshid Yama-Amiri)

Gender apartheid is the systematic and institutionalized persecution and oppression of women—or any gender group—by those in power. Right now, nowhere is this more evident than in Afghanistan.

Since retaking control of the country in 2021, the Taliban has waged a deliberate and brutal campaign to erase women and girls from public life. They’ve issued more than 130 edicts targeting women and girls, including bans on education beyond elementary school, restrictions on employment, and mandates requiring women to have a male guardian to leave their homes. For nearly four years, Afghanistan has remained the only country in the world enforcing such sweeping and institutionalized bans against women and girls.

Let’s be clear: the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women and girls is neither cultural nor religious. These policies are in direct contradiction to the calls “cultural, Islamic, or within Sharia” values they claim to uphold.

What’s happening in Afghanistan isn’t just a national crisis—it’s a global one. This systemic oppression sets a terrifying precedent, empowering authoritarian regimes and extremist groups that aim to strip away women’s rights and silence marginalized communities worldwide.

We cannot look away. The fight for Afghan women’s freedom is part of the global fight to defend human rights and reject the normalization of gender-based persecution.

Here's what you can do: 

1. Add your name to the petition and widely circulate the flyer throughout your campus.

2. Share the following graphics on social media to spread the word about the campaign.

Suggested post for Bluesky or X:

Tell @UN: No recognition for the Taliban while Afghan women and girls are denied their basic human rights. They deserve to learn, work, and live freely. Let’s show #AfghanWomen they are never alone - this horrific treatment cannot be normalized. #AfghanWomen #GenderApartheid 

https://stopgenderapartheid.org/act-now-ensure-that-gender-apartheid-is-made-an-international-crime/

Share the graphic on social media and follow @stopgenderapartheid_afg on Instagram and @stopgend_apart_ on X to stay up to date with the campaign!

Reza Khandan, a longtime advocate against Iran’s compulsory hijab laws and the death penalty—and husband of renowned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh—has been unjustly imprisoned for peacefully defending women’s rights. In 2019, he was sentenced to six years in prison simply for distributing “I oppose the mandatory hijab” buttons. His charges were politically motivated and rooted in his peaceful activism.

Despite a sentence reduction in 2024, Reza remains detained in Evin Prison. Nasrin has been barred from visiting him for refusing to wear compulsory hijab. His imprisonment is part of a broader crackdown on free expression in Iran—over 70 journalists were imprisoned last year alone, and Iran is now the world’s top jailer of female writers.

We are joining Nasrin in calling for Reza’s immediate release. We need your help to build pressure. Here are two things you can do:

1. Sign and share the petition demanding Reza’s release. 

2. Host an event on your campus to publicize the campaign—it can be as simple as taking 5 minutes during a club meeting or class to gather petition signatures.

Check out this reel on Instagram that explains the campaign: 

We must not stay silent. Support these campaigns to show solidarity with women and human rights activists across the globe!

For justice,

Madelyn Amos

Feminist Campus