Hijab rule: Iran sending women for psychological treatment for not covering their head

A protest that spread like a wildfire after the death of Mhasa Amini under the custody of Iran's moral police, has now forced the Iranian government to resort to psychological treatment implement its Hijab rule. 

The government is sending those women who refuse to cover their head for counselling in an effort to enforce mandatory hijab regulations. The misuse of psychological therapy drew flak from healthcare organisations. Many organisations have cited the action as evidence that the government is unable to uphold hijab rules, reported ANI quoting France 24.

Recent cases of punishment of women for defying Hijab

In a symbolic act of defiance, Iranian actress Afsaneh Bayegan repeatedly posted photos of her unveiled hair on instagram and recently attended a public ceremony without hijab.

The action irked the Iranian government, which has been searching for fresh means to impose the rule on women.  According to the country's Fars News Agency, Bayegan, 61, was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and told to go to a "psychological centre" once a week to "treat her anti-family personality disorder."

“The sentence that [Bayegan] was given sets an example,” explains Azadeh Kian, an Iran specialist and professor of political science at Université Paris Cité. Bayegan was one of Iran’s first cinema stars after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and is a respected figure on Iranian television," France 24 reported.

Bayegan’s case is not an isolated one. Iranian judges recently “diagnosed” Iranian actress Azadeh Samadi with an “antisocial personality disorder” after she wore a hat instead of a hijab at a funeral. Samadi will also have to seek therapy weekly in a “psychological centre”.

Woman faces punishment of cleaning corpses in a morge for driving without hijab

In another case of extreme punishment, Tehran court sentenced a woman to spend a month cleaning corpses in morgue after she was caught driving without a hijab. The death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, resulted in several woman coming in public without their headscarf as a mark of protest against Iran's stringent laws.

From celebrities to athletes, several ladies have followed suit in solidarity. In another case of punishment by Tehran court a woman was sentenced to two months in prison and six months of psychological treatment for “a contagious psychological disorder that leads to sexual promiscuity” because she didn’t wear a hijab.

Drawing attention towards government's exploitation of psychological treatment for punishing woman, the presidents of four mental health organisations accused Iranian authorities of “exploiting psychiatry” for other purposes.

“Diagnosing mental health disorders is the responsibility of psychiatrists, not judges,” they decried, according to France 24.

Iran government to impose harsher penalties on women protesting against hijab

What's more concerning is that the Iranian authorities are not even sparing children and young girls. Education Minister Youssef Nouri admitted that during the Mahsa Amini protest, school children were being detained in the streets or at school and held in “medical psychological centres” where they were “re-educated” to prevent “anti-social” behaviour.

The government is trying all sorts of ways to stop women from moving out without hijabs. Women are being charged with hefty fined, sent text messages if spotted driving without a hijab. Authorities are also confiscating vehicles and even pressuring employers – including those in the private sector – to get women fired. Unveiled women have even been refused hospital treatment while shops catering to them have been forced to shut down, France 24 reported.

A bill presented to the Iranian parlaiment at the end of July hints that things are going to get worse for women in the coming days. The bill proposes even harsher penalties for women who refuse to wear a headscarf, reported ANI citing France 24. Experts cited the risk of loss of civil rights in such case. After the adoption of the bill, women can even be sentenced to death for their repeated act of protest against Hijab.