GENEVA, 13 December 2024 – UN experts* today expressed concern about a new law in Iran that imposes a series of new penalties on women and girls who fail to wear a hijab. They called on the Government of Iran to immediately repeal it.
“The new hijab law marks an intensification of state control over women’s bodies in Iran and is a further assault on women’s rights and freedoms,” the experts said.
Today, the Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab is reportedly set to come into force. It provides for the punishment of those aged 12 and above who fail to wear a hijab online or offline, and for “promoting or advertising nudity” or “immodest or improper dressing”.
While the failure to wear a hijab is already punishable with fines and imprisonment under Iran’s existing Islamic Penal Code, the new law introduces more hefty fines and longer prison sentences of up to 15 years. It also allows for the possibility for judges to apply the death penalty under the offense of “corruption on earth”.
“The new law constitutes clear violation of fundamental human rights, legal norms and principles, including women’s rights to equality, freedom of expression, religion and belief, bodily autonomy, liberty, security and privacy,” the experts said.
They are also concerned about the use of state-led propaganda to shape educational content and cultural norms to enforce mandatory veiling, the “culture of chastity”, and “family-oriented” values. By embedding these ideals further into curricula, training programmes, and public information campaigns, the law seeks to impose a state-sanctioned value system, limiting the freedom of expression and opinion and freedom of religion and belief.
“The law also delegates part of the enforcement to private actors and citizens. It requires individuals, families, and businesses to report instances of unveiling and expects extensive use of technology to enforce it. These requirements will create a climate of fear and distrust among individuals and communities. In addition, the severe economic punishments are likely to disproportionately impact vulnerable populations and groups, including children, young persons, and social media users,” the experts said.
They said its enforcement will likely escalate violence against women and girls and further embed systematic and structural gender-based discrimination and segregation into Iranian society.
“We call upon the Government of Iran to immediately repeal the Hijab and Chastity Law and all other discriminatory legislation that perpetuates gender-based persecution,” the experts said. The experts are in contact with the Government on this matter.
* The expert: Mai Sato Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran ,Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls, Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights,Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
