Netherlands: No male prison guards for women who have to remove their headscarves
Muslim women who are arrested and have to give up their headscarf in jail, should not be confronted with male guards, according to a recent decision by the national ombudsman. The ombudsman responded to a complaint by a woman held in custody who had to hand her headscarf to two female guards while two male colleagues looked on.
The woman saw this as a serious breach of her integrity and beliefs. The ombudsman ruled that the police indeed failed to respect the freedom of religion, and said the conduct was improper.
A headscarf has to be given up for security reasons. In 2004 there was a case of suicide with a headscarf.
Source: Telegraaf (Dutch)
