Hijab remains the official repressive law in Iran

A group of UN human rights experts said Friday that Islamic Republic’s repressive measures to enforce hijab epitomize gender-based persecution.

The experts argued imposing compulsory veiling on girls from the age of seven at the start of elementary school are a manifestation of gender-based persecution and would lead to unacceptable levels of violations of the rights of women and girls in Iran.

The group is comprised of Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran and four other special rapporteurs.

“It is deeply worrying that after months of nationwide protests, including against restrictive hijab laws, and following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, Iranian women are increasingly facing harsh and coercive measures by State authorities,” the UN experts said.

The uprising that was sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini has made it increasingly difficult for the clerical regime to enforce the mandatory Islamic dress code. Appearing in public without a full veil has become a common sight even in small and more conservative towns. 

Since the beginning of the ‘Women, Life, Liberty’ movement in September last year, thousands of girls and women have set fire to their headscarves in a symbolic move and voiced opposition to compulsory hijab.

To avoid the public backlash over the violent enforcement of hijab laws, the Islamic Republic has recently begun implementing a wide range of measures from public humiliation tactics -- such as preventing women without hijab to enter subway stations and public places -- to using traffic cameras to identify hijabless women.