New Attempt for Headscarf Ban for Under 14-Year-Olds in Autumn
According to Plakolm, a headscarf ban is intended to protect the welfare of children. ©APA/Canva (Subject)
Family and Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm plans to bring the already announced headscarf ban for schoolgirls under 14 years old to a decision in the fall.
In interviews with the daily newspapers Der Standard and Die Presse, she announced that the issue is to be addressed in one of the first cabinet meetings after the summer break. Currently, the draft law is being coordinated within the government.
In December 2020, the Constitutional Court overturned the headscarf ban introduced by the turquoise-blue government in the fall of 2019 at Austria's elementary schools as unconstitutional. The criticism has been closely examined, and "accompanying measures" will now be implemented, which were missing according to the highest court at the time, Plakolm explained in the "Standard".
Regarding the Constitutional Court's statement at the time that a religion would be disadvantaged, the department head said in the "Presse" that it is "not about the issue of religion, but about the issue of child welfare: that girls under 14 years old are not oppressed." From the age of 14, religious maturity begins, "then every young woman can decide for herself anyway."
"We want to empower the girls to lead a self-determined and visible life. They should enjoy all the opportunities of the free Western society," said Plakolm in the "Standard". "We will also look at the boys who act as so-called moral guardians. Here, parents should be held accountable, and youth welfare and school psychology will also be involved in such cases."
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