Iran announces clinic for 'hijab removal treatment,' draws criticism

Iran announced plans to open a treatment clinic for women who defy mandatory hijab laws, sparking criticism from human rights groups and citizens. The proposed clinic, termed a “hijab removal treatment clinic,” was revealed by Mehri Talebi Darestani, head of the Women and Family Department at Tehran's Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, reported The Guardian.

Darestani claimed the clinic would offer “scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal.”

Many Iranians and international activists condemned the plan, saying it stigmatises women who choose not to wear the hijab.

UK-based Iranian journalist Sima Sabet called the proposal “chilling,” and Iranian human rights lawyer Hossein Raeesi argued it was not rooted in Islamic or Iranian law, noting that the agency overseeing the clinic reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The announcement has intensified concern among “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest groups, with some activists fearing that the clinic would function more as a detention centre than a treatment facility. “It won’t be a clinic, it will be a prison,” a young Iranian woman said as quoted by The Guardian.

She highlighted how daily struggles like power outages are overshadowed by the state’s focus on enforcing the hijab law.

The news follows reports that a university student was detained and transferred to a psychiatric hospital after a public protest against hijab laws. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty , have raised concerns about mistreatment of detainees in psychiatric institutions, alleging cases of torture and forced medication.

Recent weeks have seen a crackdown on hijab law breaches, with reports of arrests, disappearances, and business closures.

The Centre for Human Rights in Iran recently highlighted the case of 25-year-old Roshanak Molaei Alishah, who was detained after confronting a man harassing her over her attire. Her current whereabouts are unknown.