Iran’s recent decision to establish Mental Health Clinic for Women Who Refuse Hijab has sparked both outrage and debate, touching on complex issues of personal freedoms, mental health, and cultural values.
The new clinics, designed to encourage compliance with Iran’s dress codes, have come under criticism for stigmatizing women’s choices and using mental health treatment to enforce political norms.
Mental Health Clinic for Women Who Refuse Hijab
Iran’s government recently announced plans to open what it calls a “Clinic for Quitting Hijab Removal,” a facility aimed at providing “scientific and psychological treatment” for women who choose not to wear the hijab.
The head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Mehri Talebi Darestani, who leads this initiative, states that the clinic is intended to help women, especially young adults and teenagers, embrace the values of “dignity, modesty, chastity, and hijab.”
According to Darestani, the clinics will offer a voluntary space where women can receive counseling on issues of social and religious identity. However, the existence of such a clinic suggests a response to the growing resistance among women against Iran’s strict dress code, which has been in place since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Activists and legal experts argue that such a measure not only restricts personal freedoms but also potentially manipulates mental health treatment to serve ideological and political ends.
The Rise of “Women, Life, Freedom” Movement and Resistance to Dress Codes
The treatment center’s opening comes amid a larger backdrop of civil unrest in Iran. The “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, a campaign advocating for women’s rights and individual freedom, has gained widespread support across the country.
Originating from women-led protests in response to the government’s enforcement of hijab laws, this movement has brought thousands of women to the streets, standing in opposition to what they describe as oppressive gender norms.
Iran’s leadership has maintained that the hijab represents not only religious adherence but also national identity. However, many women see it as a personal choice and an issue of bodily autonomy. Over the years, a significant number of women have protested the law by unveiling in public, a gesture seen as a form of resistance.
Read : Woman Stripped to Protest Against Strict Dress Code in Iran Goes Missing After Arrest
This wave of disobedience is particularly significant given Iran’s conservative framework, which views the hijab as non-negotiable. These acts of defiance have not only put women at risk of arrest but also made them subject to social and legal discrimination. To counter these protests, the government has strengthened surveillance on women and has taken steps like launching the hijab clinics to promote compliance.
One instance that recently captured public attention involved a university student who protested by removing her clothing in a public space, a bold act of resistance against the hijab mandate. The government responded by labeling her as mentally unstable, underscoring the administration’s tactic of framing resistance as a mental health issue.
This incident highlights the lengths to which Iranian authorities are willing to go in preserving conservative values and enforcing compliance with hijab mandates.
The Ethics and Implications of “Treatment” for Non-Compliance
The idea of using a mental health clinic to address non-compliance with the hijab mandate has raised ethical concerns among psychologists, human rights advocates, and Iranian legal experts.
Mental health treatment is generally understood to help individuals navigate personal struggles, not to enforce social conformity. The act of opening clinics to “treat” women who don’t wear the hijab may blur the line between therapy and political enforcement.
Iranian human rights lawyer Hossein Raeesi has criticized the clinic model as neither Islamic nor aligned with Iranian legal standards. Raeesi argues that enforcing dress codes through mental health treatment contradicts the principles of mental healthcare and individual rights.
According to Raeesi and other critics, the clinic initiative is both a violation of human rights and an attempt to control women’s bodies and choices under the guise of mental health.
The clinics are managed by Iran’s Headquarters for Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil, a government organization committed to upholding religious laws. This association, combined with the stated goals of the clinic, indicates a fusion of mental health support with governmental moral oversight.
To many activists, this sets a dangerous precedent, as it conflates mental health issues with political non-conformity, casting women who defy the hijab law as subjects in need of “correction” rather than autonomous individuals exercising personal freedom.
Reactions from Human Rights Advocates and the Global Community
News of the hijab clinics has received strong reactions from Iranian human rights advocates and international activists. Critics argue that this move is another form of repression and a step towards further controlling women’s autonomy in Iran.
Human rights journalist Sima Sabet, based in the UK, has called the clinics a “chilling” development, describing them as places where individuals are pressured to conform to state ideology. For many Iranian women, this initiative represents an escalation of an already oppressive system, reinforcing gender-based restrictions and stifling individual expression.
In addition to Iranian activists, international human rights organizations have condemned the clinic initiative as a violation of women’s rights. Critics assert that using mental health facilities to enforce the hijab law undermines both personal freedoms and the integrity of mental health services.
There is also a growing concern that this model of intervention could extend to other aspects of personal conduct and freedom in Iran, creating a structure where non-conformity is pathologized.
The backlash has not been limited to activist circles. Media outlets and academic commentators have discussed the broader implications of the hijab clinics as a means of social control disguised as psychological care.
They argue that this initiative, rather than addressing any genuine need for mental health treatment, aims to discourage resistance by stigmatizing it and presenting non-compliance as a mental issue that requires “cure.” This approach not only pathologizes dissent but also potentially threatens mental health practitioners by involving them in political enforcement.
Iran’s decision to open mental health clinics aimed at enforcing the hijab law is viewed by many as an infringement on women’s rights, where mental health treatment is repurposed as a tool of control.
By framing the rejection of the hijab as a psychological problem, the Iranian government not only infringes on individual freedom but also risks the integrity of mental healthcare in the country.
The growing protest movement and the global outcry against these clinics suggest that many view the hijab as a personal choice, not a mandate that should be enforced through therapeutic measures.
As Iranian women continue to fight for their autonomy under the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, this initiative stands as a symbol of the ongoing tension between personal freedom and state authority in Iran. The clinics, far from serving as a source of mental health support, may instead serve as a reminder of the resilience of the women who refuse to be silenced.
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