Afghanistan’s youth representative to the UN has launched a global campaign in solidarity with women in the country, seeking to rally support from Kabul to cities abroad against sweeping restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
Aziza Akrami told Amu TV that the campaign, titled #HeStandsWithHer began in November 2025 and has so far attracted about 500,000 supporters. She said the effort would continue until it reached one million.
“This campaign is part of the mission of Afghanistan’s youth representation at the United Nations,” Akrami said. “We started it in November 2025.”
Since returning to power more than four years ago, the Taliban have barred girls above the sixth grade from attending school and closed universities to women. They have also imposed extensive restrictions on women’s employment and freedom of movement.
Akrami said the new campaign emphasizes that change will not be possible without the involvement of Afghan men.
“In a society where the voices of Afghan women have been completely silenced, change is not possible without the cooperation and support of Afghan men,” she said.
In recent years, protests against the Taliban’s policies have taken place both inside Afghanistan and abroad. Activists have urged the international community to recognize the restrictions as gender apartheid and to take stronger action.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s leader and chief justice, while the International Court of Justice is reviewing a case related to alleged human rights violations in Afghanistan.
Campaign organizers say they are pressing for more decisive measures from the international community, particularly the United Nations, to address what they describe as systematic discrimination against women in Afghanistan.
