United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson Marta Hurtado reminded France, in a press briefing on Tuesday of when it is appropriate under international law to ban clothing. France had announced it would prohibit girls from wearing the abaya (loose fitting garment) in schools.
During the bi-weekly briefing session of the UN in Geneva, the spokesperson stated that while she couldn’t comment directly on the proposal due to a lack of specifics, “according to international human rights standards, limitations on manifestations of religion or belief, including choice of clothing, only permitted in very limited circumstances.”
She stated that under international human rights law, “measures adopted in the name of public order must be appropriate, necessary, and proportionate.”
On Sunday, French Education Minister Gabriel Attal had told the local TF1 TV program that the government would ban wearing of the abaya in school.
The French Ministry of Education issued a study last week on the alleged “growing infringement” on secularism in schools, a policy France adopted almost two decades ago.
According to the study, secularism “infractions” have grown by 150% in recent years, with male and female students wearing clothing similar to abayas and tunics, which the ministry considers antithetical to the secularism rule issued in 2004 that prohibits religious symbols in schools.
The abaya, a long dress worn by certain Muslim girls, is regarded by France as a “religious symbol.” Muslim headscarves (the hijab), Jewish skullcaps (the kippah), and large crosses are already prohibited in French schools.