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Countries Currently Penalizing Face Coverings (Burqa, Niqab) and/or Headscarves (Hijab)

Many countries enforce bans on full-face coverings like the burqa (full-body garment with mesh over the eyes) and niqab (face veil leaving eyes visible), often citing security, secularism, or social integration. These laws typically impose fines, short prison terms, or citizenship education. Bans on headscarves (hijab) are rarer and usually limited to public institutions like schools or government offices, with penalties including denial of access or fines. “Covering private parts” likely refers to these modesty garments, as no laws specifically target body coverage alone (e.g., bikinis are legal in banning countries). Below is a categorized list based on current enforcement as of November 2025.

Full National or Public Bans on Face Coverings (Burqa/Niqab), with Penalties

These apply in public spaces, transport, or institutions, affecting ~200–400 women per country in most cases. Penalties: Fines (€150–1,100), up to 7 days jail, or arrest for refusal.

• France (2011 ban): Full-face coverings illegal in public; €150 fine or citizenship course. Hijab allowed but banned in schools (2004 law).
• Belgium (2011): Nationwide ban; up to 7 days jail or €137.50 fine. Hijab banned in some public schools.
• Austria (2017): Full-face veils banned in public; €150 fine. Partial hijab restrictions in schools.
• Denmark (2018): Face coverings banned; fines start at €100, escalating for repeats. Applies to masks too.
• Netherlands (2019): Partial ban in public buildings/transport/schools; €150+ fine or arrest.
• Switzerland (2025 enforcement): Nationwide ban on face coverings; up to 1,000 CHF (~$1,100) fine.
• Bulgaria (2016): Full ban in public; fines for non-compliance.
• Latvia (2016): Face coverings banned in public.
• Luxembourg (2018): Partial ban in public spaces; fines apply.
• Norway (2018): Ban in educational/health institutions; fines.
• Tunisia (1981, partial lift 2011): Face coverings banned in public; fines/jail.
• Algeria (2018): Banned for public servants; fines for others.
• Morocco (2017): Ban on manufacturing/sale of burqa; fines for public wear.
• Egypt (2023): Full niqab ban in schools; hijab requires parental consent—non-compliance leads to expulsion/fines.
• China (2017, Xinjiang): Burqa/niqab banned; fines or detention under anti-extremism laws.
• Kazakhstan (2025): Face coverings banned in public for “facial recognition”; fines.
• Uzbekistan (2023): Face coverings banned in public spaces; fines.
• Kyrgyzstan (2025): Niqab banned in public; fines with medical exceptions.
• Tajikistan: Face coverings restricted; fines.
• Turkmenistan: Face coverings banned; fines.
• Sri Lanka (2019): Full ban post-Easter attacks; fines/jail.
• Cameroon/Chad/Congo/Gabon/Senegal: Face coverings banned in public; fines/jail for security.
• Myanmar (2015 proposal enforced): Hijab/burqa restricted in schools/public; fines.

Partial/Institutional Bans on Headscarves (Hijab) or Face Coverings, with Penalties

These limit access to services; penalties include fines or exclusion.

• Turkey: Hijab banned in military/courts (partial lift 2013); fines for violations.
• Azerbaijan (2010): Hijab banned in schools/government; fines.
• Kosovo (2009): Hijab banned in schools/public offices; denial of entry.
• Russia (various regions, e.g., Mordovia 2015): Hijab banned in schools; fines.
• Germany (state-level): Face veils banned in some states’ schools/offices; hijab bans for teachers in 8/16 states (fines up to €1,000).
• Italy (Lombardy region, 2016): Face coverings banned in public buildings/hospitals; fines.

These bans are upheld by bodies like the European Court of Human Rights (e.g., France’s 2014 ruling on “living together”). Enforcement varies; few prosecutions occur due to low prevalence (e.g.,

Countries Enforcing Modesty Rules on Clothing and Public Exposure of Private Parts

Modesty laws worldwide typically require covering “private parts” (genitals, buttocks, and often breasts, midriff, or thighs) in public to prevent indecent exposure, with penalties like fines, arrests, or flogging. These are enforced via police patrols, morality squads, or judicial rulings. While nearly all countries have basic indecent exposure laws (e.g., banning full nudity), the query focuses on stricter, culturally/religiously driven codes mandating broader coverage (e.g., arms, legs, hair) for modesty. Below, I categorize by enforcement intensity, based on current laws as of November 2025. Enforcement varies by region (stricter in rural/conservative areas).

Strict National Enforcement (Mandatory Coverage for Women, Often Including Hijab/Abaya; Applies to Locals and Tourists)

These countries use Sharia-inspired laws or decrees, with morality police or fines/jail for violations like short skirts, tight clothes, or uncovered hair/shoulders/knees.

• Iran: Hijab mandatory since 1979; women must cover hair, arms, legs, and body shape in public. Fines up to 30 billion rials (~$60,000 USD), license revocation, or imprisonment enforced by Guidance Patrol. Men must avoid shorts/sleeveless tops.
• Afghanistan (Taliban rule): Burqa or full hijab mandatory for women; covers entire body/face (mesh over eyes). Fines, arrests, or violence by morality police for non-compliance.
• Saudi Arabia: Modest loose clothing required (abaya/hijab for women covering hair/arms/legs; long pants/shirts for men). Public Decency Code (updated 2025) fines up to 1,000 SAR (~$267 USD) for revealing outfits like shorts or sleepwear; enforced in holy cities like Mecca.
• Qatar: Penal code bans revealing/indecent clothes (e.g., not covering shoulders/knees, tight/transparent fabrics). Fines by Al-Adheed body; targets foreigners.
• Sudan: Sharia-based; women must cover arms/legs (headscarves in conservative areas); trousers/miniskirts banned. Fines, jail, or 40 lashes for “public order” violations like tight clothes.
• Maldives: Modest dress on local islands (cover shoulders/knees; bikinis only at resorts). Fines for revealing swimwear in public; enforced for cultural/Islamic reasons.
• North Korea: Subdued, modest domestic attire; women banned from trousers/jeans (fines/forced labor); piercings forbidden as “anti-Western.”

Provincial/Regional Enforcement (Strict in Specific Areas)

• Indonesia (Aceh Province): Sharia law mandates hijab and modest clothing (covering arms/legs); fines or public shaming for violations.

Moderate National Enforcement (Bans on Revealing Clothes; Fines for Exposure Above Knees/Thighs)

These focus on prohibiting “indecent” attire like miniskirts or low-cut tops, often under anti-pornography or public order laws.

• Uganda: Anti-Pornography Act bans miniskirts/revealing clothes exposing thighs/breasts/buttocks. Arrests, harassment, or fines; women assaulted for non-compliance.
• Gambia: Islamic republic; women urged (enforced in public jobs) to cover hair/arms/legs modestly. Fines for indecent dress.
• Bhutan: National dress (kira for women covering body) required in government offices/schools. Fines for non-compliance to preserve culture.

Broader Global Context: Indecent Exposure Laws (Universal Basic Coverage)

All countries enforce minimum coverage of genitals/anus/breasts via indecent exposure statutes (e.g., fines/jail in US states, UK, India, Brazil). Examples with cultural emphasis:

• India: Bans exposure of genitals/buttocks/nipples; malls require knee/shoulder coverage. Fines under colonial-era laws.
• Brazil: “Public outrage to modesty” bans revealing private parts; fines/jail, though lenient in beaches.
• Portugal: Penal code criminalizes exposure; fines for nudity/revealing attire in public.

These laws aim to uphold cultural/religious norms but face criticism for gender bias (e.g., UN reports on Iran/Afghanistan). Tourists should check advisories; enforcement eased in urban Saudi areas post-2019 reforms.

History of cultures, taxations on women covering upper body

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There are several well-documented cases in history (and even into the 20th century) where women were legally or socially required to keep their upper body bare in public or semi-public settings, and faced penalties — ranging from fines and public shaming to physical punishment or loss of rights — if they covered their breasts.

Here are the major examples:

1. India – Kerala (until 19th–early 20th century)

• Who: Lower-caste women (Nadars/Chanars, Ezhavas, and other “avarna” castes) in the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin.
• Rule: These women were forbidden to cover their breasts in the presence of higher-caste men or in public spaces, as covering the upper body was considered a privilege reserved for upper-caste (Nair, Nambudiri, Syrian Christian) women.
• Penalties: Forcible stripping in public, heavy fines, social ostracism, assault, and in some cases mutilation or murder. Higher-caste men or officials would tear off any cloth used to cover the breasts.
• Rebellion & end: The Channar Revolt (also called the “Breast Cloth Controversy” or Maru Marakkal Samaram) began in the 1820s and peaked in the 1850s. After decades of protests, Travancore finally issued a royal proclamation in 1859 allowing Nadar women to cover their breasts (though not in the exact style of upper-caste women until later). Cochin followed shortly after.

2. Parts of West and Central Africa (pre-colonial and colonial era)

• In many societies (e.g., among the Ewe of Ghana/Togo, some Yoruba subgroups, Igbo in eastern Nigeria, Mende in Sierra Leone, Wolof in Senegal, and others), adult women traditionally went topless in daily life and during work. Covering the breasts was sometimes seen as immodest or associated with mourning or menstruation.
• Colonial period enforcement (late 19th–mid 20th century): British, French, and German colonial authorities and Christian missionaries tried to force women to cover up, but in some rural areas local chiefs or elders resisted and fined or punished women who adopted European-style blouses too early, viewing it as rejecting tradition.
• Example: In parts of southeastern Nigeria in the 1920s–1930s, during the Women’s War / Aba Riots (1929), one of the grievances was that colonial taxes forced women to wear imported cloth tops to appear in court, which some communities saw as an infringement on customary toplessness.

3. Goa, India (Portuguese colonial rule, 16th–20th centuries)

• Catholic converts from lower castes were sometimes prohibited from wearing the upper-body covering (cholis or blouses) that Hindu upper-caste women wore, to mark caste distinction even after conversion.
• Portuguese records and 19th-century travelers noted that Christian fisherwomen (Konkani Catholics) went topless or with only a shawl until the early 20th century, partly because of lingering caste-based clothing rules.

4. Amazonian and some Pacific societies (into the 20th century)

• In several indigenous Amazonian groups (e.g., Yanomami, Kayapo, Xingu tribes) and some Melanesian/Pacific societies, women traditionally went topless. When missionaries or governments tried to impose clothing in the 20th century, some communities initially resisted and punished women who adopted tops, viewing it as foreign or shameful. The reverse enforcement (forcing toplessness) faded rapidly after the 1950s.

Summary Table

Region / Society Time period Who was forced to remain topless Penalty for covering breasts Travancore & Cochin (Kerala) ~1800–1859 Lower-caste Hindu/Christian women Forcible stripping, fines, assault, murder Parts of West/Central Africa Pre-colonial & early colonial Many ethnic groups (varies) Social ostracism, fines by elders Portuguese Goa 16th–early 20th century Lower-caste Catholic women Social and sometimes legal sanctions Some Amazonian & Pacific groups Until mid-20th century Indigenous women Community pressure or punishment

The Kerala case is by far the most extreme and best-documented example of a state-enforced prohibition on women covering their upper bodies, complete with violent state-backed penalties.