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Hijab head-shaving at East Java school raises rights concerns
A teacher in East Java has caught the attention of human rights activists following reports that they forcefully shaved the heads of more than a dozen students as punishment for the students' failure to wear an internal component of the hijab.
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A teacher and some of her female students wear hijabs during a class at SMA 87 state senior high school in Jakarta on April 8, 2022. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
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teacher in East Java has caught the attention of human rights activists following reports that they forcefully shaved the heads of more than a dozen students as punishment for the students' failure to wear an internal component of the hijab.
Local media reported that the teacher, identified only by their initials EWP, cut off the hair of 19 female students of SMP 1 Sukodadi junior high school in Lamongan, East Java.
While details on the incident remain sparse, the teacher reportedly found that the students were not wearing the inner cap of the hijab, locally known as the ciput. Women who wear the hijab usually wear ciput to prevent their hair from protruding from inside the head covering.
The Lamongan education agency suspended EWP from their teaching position indefinitely following the incident.
The school’s headmaster, Harto, claimed it did not actually have a rule requiring female students to wear ciput, kompas.com reported.
The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) called EWP’s actions discrimination and violence against children.
“It tarnishes the good name of educators and educational institutions because it’s contrary to educational principles and goals,” the commission said in a statement on Wednesday.
