Iran Opens Mental Health Clinics for Women Not Wearing Hijab
Iran's government announced plans to open "treatment clinics" for women who defy mandatory hijab laws, sparking widespread criticism and fear of further repression.
On 14th November 2024, the Iranian government made a shocking announcement that it plans to open “treatment clinics” for women who refuse to follow the country's mandatory hijab laws, which require women to cover their heads in public. This announcement comes just days after a female college student in Tehran stripped down to her underwear in protest of the strict hijab laws. The woman was arrested by Iran’s morality police for not adhering to Sharia law and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for "mental health treatment."
The announcement was made by the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, an agency that works under the direct control of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. This department enforces the country’s strict religious guidelines, particularly those related to women’s clothing.
Mehri Talebi Darestani, the head of this department, explained that these "treatment clinics" would offer “scientific and psychological treatment” to women who remove their hijabs. The goal, according to Darestani, is to promote values like dignity, modesty, and chastity, and to encourage women to wear the hijab. She also mentioned that attending these clinics would be "voluntary."
The clinics will be operated under the supervision of Iran's Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil, a government body responsible for enforcing Islamic conduct in the country. Reports indicate that these clinics are primarily targeting younger generations, including teenagers and young women seeking a social and Islamic identity.
However, this announcement has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups around the world. Critics argue that Iran is using mental health institutions as a tool to enforce the hijab law, which many consider abusive and manipulative. The issue of forced hijab laws gained international attention in 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for a hijab violation. Her death sparked the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, which has seen many Iranian women and celebrities protesting against the law.
Several famous Iranian actresses, including Afsaneh Bayegan, Azadeh Samadi, and Leila Bolukat, have openly posted pictures of themselves without the hijab as part of the movement. In response, they were ordered by the courts to attend weekly psychological centre visits to "cure" their behaviour and to receive certificates proving they were mentally fit after the visits.
Iranian human rights lawyer, Hossein Raeesi, also criticized the government's plan, stating that the idea of “treatment clinics” was “neither Islamic nor aligned with Iranian law.”
The announcement has sparked anger and fear among many women and activist groups in Iran. One anonymous young woman from Iran said, “It won’t be a clinic, it will be a prison. We are struggling to make ends meet, but this government is more concerned about a piece of cloth. If there was ever a time for us to go back to the streets, it’s now or they’ll lock us all up.”
Sima Sabet, a UK-based Iranian journalist who has been outspoken against Iran's strict laws, called the announcement “shameful.” She added, “The idea of creating clinics to ‘cure’ unveiled women is chilling. It’s about separating people from society simply because they don’t follow the ruling ideology.”
As tensions rise in Iran, this announcement has only added fuel to the ongoing protests and calls for change from women’s rights groups across the world.
