Iran has announced the creation of a mental health clinic in Tehran to treat women who violate the country’s mandatory hijab laws. Named the Clinic for Quitting Hijab Removal, it is part of a government initiative to enforce Islamic dress codes, focusing on teenagers, young adults, and women who officials claim seek “social and Islamic identity.”
The program is led by Mehri Talebi Darestani, the head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a body under the authority of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Darestani stated that attendance at the clinic would be optional, but critics argue it is part of a broader crackdown on dissent.
The clinic follows increased enforcement of hijab laws after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in morality police custody. Her death sparked the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which led to widespread protests against Iran’s strict dress codes.
Since then, Iranian authorities have intensified their actions against unveiled women, introducing covert surveillance, banning access to public spaces, and increasing the presence of morality police. Recent incidents include the detention of a university student who protested by stripping to her underwear, later being sent to a psychiatric hospital.
The clinic has sparked anger among activists and human rights groups, who accuse Iran of weaponizing mental health care to enforce compliance. Amnesty International condemned the country’s hijab laws as tools of systemic oppression, with the UN labeling the crackdown as “gender apartheid.”
Domestically, women have expressed outrage. One Iranian woman told The Guardian that the clinic would function as “a prison disguised as treatment.” Iranian psychiatrists have also criticized the government’s use of mental health diagnoses to target dissent, calling it medically and legally inappropriate. Iran’s government has framed the clinic as a step toward promoting dignity and Islamic values.
