In a move that has sent shockwaves through Iran and beyond, the government has announced plans to open a “treatment clinic” for women who defy the country’s strict mandatory hijab laws. The announcement, made by Mehri Talebi Darestani, head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has been met with outrage and fear among Iranian women and human rights groups.
According to Darestani, the clinic will offer “scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal,” suggesting that women who choose not to cover their heads in public are mentally ill and in need of a cure. The move comes amid a crackdown on dress code breaches, with reports of arrests, forced disappearances, and businesses being shuttered for perceived violations.
A “Chilling” and “Shameful” Move
Critics have been quick to condemn the government’s plan. Sima Sabet, a UK-based Iranian journalist who was targeted in an assassination attempt last year, called the move “shameful,” saying:
“The idea of establishing clinics to ‘cure’ unveiled women is chilling, where people are separated from society simply for not conforming to the ruling ideology.”
– Sima Sabet, Iranian journalist
Iranian human rights lawyer Hossein Raeesi echoed these sentiments, noting that the clinic is “neither Islamic nor aligned with Iranian law.” He expressed alarm that the announcement came from a department under the direct authority of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Fear and Defiance Among Women
News of the planned clinic has spread rapidly among women’s rights activists and female students, sparking both fear and defiance. One young woman, speaking anonymously, said:
“It won’t be a clinic, it will be a prison. We are struggling to make ends meet and have power outages, but a piece of cloth is what this state is worried about. If there was a time for all of us to come back to the streets, it’s now or they’ll lock us all up.”
– Anonymous Iranian woman
A Pattern of Oppression
The clinic announcement comes amid growing concerns over the treatment of protesters and dissidents in Iran. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have reported evidence of torture, violence, and forced medication being used on those deemed mentally unstable by the authorities and placed in state-run psychiatric facilities.
The case of a university student arrested after stripping down to her underwear in protest has also made headlines. According to state media, she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, raising fears of forced treatment and imprisonment under the guise of mental health care.
A Crackdown on Women’s Rights
The planned clinic is just the latest in a series of moves by the Iranian government to crack down on women’s rights and freedoms. In recent weeks, there have been reports of a spate of arrests, forced disappearances, and businesses being shut down for perceived breaches of the hijab laws.
One such case is that of Roshanak Molaei Alishah, a 25-year-old woman who was reportedly arrested after confronting a man who harassed her on the street over her hijab. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran, her current whereabouts are unknown.
A Call for Action
As news of the planned clinic spreads, women’s rights activists and human rights groups are calling for international action to pressure the Iranian government to abandon the plan and respect the rights and freedoms of women.
Many are also calling on the international community to speak out against the broader crackdown on dissent and protest in Iran, and to demand an end to the use of torture, forced disappearances, and other human rights abuses.
For the women of Iran, the fight for their rights and freedoms is far from over. But with growing international attention and solidarity, there is hope that change may yet come, and that the voices of those who dare to defy oppression will not be silenced.
