Women Who Refuse to Wear Hijab to Be 'Treated' in Psychiatric Hospitals in Iran

The authorities in Iran have announced the opening of special clinics to ‘treat’ women who violate strict laws on the mandatory wearing of the hijab in public places.

This was reported by The Guardian with reference to the head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Mehri Talebi Darestani.

According to the official, the newly established clinics will allegedly provide women with ‘scientifically proven psychological treatment for removing the hijab’.

Iranian women's and human rights groups have expressed outrage over this initiative.

In particular, British Iranian journalist Sima Sabet considers the opening of such clinics a ‘shameful step’.

‘The idea of establishing clinics to ‘treat’ uncovered women is terrifying for people who may be separated from society for not conforming to the prevailing ideology,’ the journalist said.

Iranian human rights activist Hossein Raisi said that the idea of clinics to ‘treat’ women does not comply with Iranian law and Muslim holy writ. He claims that the Department of Women and Family, which initiated the ‘treatment’, is directly supervised by the country's spiritual leader Ali Khamenei.

The news of the special clinics has caused fear and disobedience on the part of protest groups and female students.

‘This will not be a clinic, but a prison. We are struggling to make ends meet and have power outages, but a piece of cloth is what this state cares about. If there is a chance to return to the streets, it is now, otherwise we will all be locked up,’ said an Iranian woman who wished to remain anonymous.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, claim to have evidence of torture, violence and forced medication of protesters and political dissidents deemed mentally ill by the Iranian authorities, who have been placed in psychiatric institutions.

The announcement of the opening of clinics to ‘treat’ uncovered women comes after Iranian state media reported the arrest of a university student who stripped down to her underwear on the streets of Tehran to protest against the mandatory wearing of the hijab.

Recently, human rights groups have also expressed concern about repression of women in Iran. They claimed that there have been a number of arrests, enforced disappearances and business closures in the country, which they attributed to possible violations of the hijab law.