‘Clothing has nothing to do with public safety’ Chechen officials plan to ‘educate’ women who go out without headscarves
Officials in Russia’s Chechnya have announced plans to summon women who appear in public without headscarves for so-called “informational talks.” The authorities say the campaign will promote modesty and respect for local traditions. Rights advocates say it’s a thinly veiled attempt to tighten control over women’s lives. Here’s what we know.
Authorities in Chechnya plan to hold “informational talks” with local women who go out without covering their heads, Amir Sugaipov, an aide to regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, announced last week. Sugaipov told the pro-government outlet Chechnya Segodnya that women who wear headscarves “look much more dignified and beautiful.”
“I’m not talking about the hijab, but about a simple scarf or even a headband — a modest, everyday accessory that shows respect for our culture and traditions,” he said. “You have to admit, it’s nice to see a modest, well-mannered girl with her head covered.”
Sugaipov added that these “talks” would be held not only with women who don’t cover their heads but also with their parents, describing the initiative as an expression of “care for our sisters.”
“We’re doing this not for show, but for our people,” he said. “And we have to do it now, before we cross the line beyond which our values are lost. We will not allow anyone, under any pretext, to cross that line.”
Our only hope is you. Support Meduza before it’s too late.
Human rights activist Saida Sirazhudinova said the Chechen authorities’ plan amounts to pressure and intimidation. “The forms in which this so-called ‘informational’ work is carried out amount to psychological — and at times physical — violence,” she said. “Women have their phones snatched from them and searched. Legally, officials have no right to force access to private information. That’s a violation of boundaries and an intrusion into personal life. And clothing has nothing to do with public safety.”
Sirazhudinova said the campaign reflects the authorities’ drive for “total control everywhere,” describing it as an attempt to build “a patriarchal order where the stability of society is guaranteed by pressuring, harassing, and oppressing women.” She warned that such a policy would ultimately backfire. “The more pressure there is, the more resistance it provokes — even if you can’t see it yet, it exists,” she said.
The Chechen authorities frequently introduce new restrictions on women’s behavior, often citing the need to preserve traditional values — and Sugaipov has been an active proponent of such measures. In practice, the regional leadership uses these policies as a tool of social control, according to RFE/RL’s Kavkaz.Realii. At the same time, the wearing of the niqab, which covers the face, remains banned in Chechnya by both the authorities and religious leaders.
