Timeline Showing Progress under Republic Regime
Take Action: Make Gender Apartheid a Crime Against Humanity
Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls
The Feminist Majority’s largest global undertaking to date has been the Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls (also the Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan). The campaign, chaired by Mavis Leno, is the first of its kind to build a U.S. grassroots constituency around a foreign policy issue of women’s rights, and it successfully brought the Taliban regime’s atrocities against women and girls in Afghanistan to the attention of the United States and the world. FM and our sister organization the Feminist Majority Foundation built a co-sponsoring network of some 250 women’s rights and human rights organizations for the Campaign. With the support of literally tens of thousands, our work was key in stopping U.S. and U.N. recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. President Bill Clinton together with Kofi Anan announced that the US and UN would not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan at a 1998 White House event celebrating International Women’s Day.
Near the end of the Clinton Administration, in a meeting with Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal, Secretary of State Madeline Albright stated that, during her tenure, the State Department had received more letters advocating for Afghan women than on any other foreign policy. Secretary Albright attributed this outpouring of support for Afghan women to the Feminist Majority’s Campaign.
To date, the Feminist Majority’s efforts have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in Congressional appropriations programs to benefit Afghan women, for funding for Afghan Women’s NGOs, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Our advocacy and support has helped women start businesses and non-profits as well as place women in governmental and non-governmental programs.
The Feminist Majority is working to ensure that the rights and needs of Afghan women and girls remain a priority. For Afghanistan to establish a stable democracy and a strong civil society, full empowerment, education, employment and access to health care for women and girls is imperative. It is also important for our own security to assist in sustaining the stability that women’s empowerment brings to Afghanistan.
For over 25 years, the Feminist Majority has championed the human rights of Afghan women and girls, working toward a future where all people in Afghanistan can live with dignity, freedom, and opportunity. Through sustained advocacy, policy engagement, and international solidarity, the organization has amplified the voices of Afghan women and underscored the essential role they play in building a peaceful, equitable society.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, nearly every hard-won right for Afghan women and girls has been taken away. Women have been banned from secondary and higher education, barred from most forms of employment, and excluded from almost all aspects of public life. Girls are no longer allowed to attend school beyond sixth grade, and women face severe restrictions on movement, dress, and participation in civil society. This systematic oppression has led to what many now recognize as gender apartheid. While the situation is heartbreaking, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating for Afghan women and girls. We continue our work with a focus on stopping gender apartheid and restoring human rights and dignity for all.
Visit our page to stay informed and support our efforts to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan.