From Sarah King...Greenpeace.

 

              Ban multilayered plastics.  By Sarah King to N. J.R.

Nelson,   In a recent survey, you told us that plastic sachets, pouches, and wrappers are some of the single-use plastics you find most difficult to avoid in everyday life. And it’s no surprise.   Multilayered packaging like these pose a significant environmental threat globally. Every year, global production of plastic sachets is estimated to be at least 999 billion. [1] Shockingly, these plastics are not widely recycled, and where collection efforts exist, there is no viable recycling process. Instead, they are often incinerated, further polluting our atmosphere. [2]

You've supported Greenpeace's campaigns on plastic in the past — please support a ban on multilayered packaging now.

Multilayered packaging is nearly impossible to avoid when grocery shopping — it’s used to wrap items like granola bars, potato chips, baby food, to-go condiments, and dishwasher detergent tablets. The federal government's ban on single-use plastics covers just a mere 3% of our annual plastics waste and doesn’t include multilayered packaging like sachets, pouches, and wrappers. [3][4]   The consequences of this plastic pollution crisis are catastrophic. In 2021, the International Coastal Cleanup revealed that food wrappers were the most commonly found trash items [5] And we know that once they’re in the environment, they wreak havoc, polluting habitat and putting marine life at risk.

The good news is: we have alternatives. Retailers can transition to reusable packaging and embrace bulk methods to provide zero-waste, non-toxic delivery options that are accessible to everyone.   We’ve already achieved a federal ban on six types of single-use plastic. But the government is facing backlash in the form of legal action by Big Plastic in response to the ban. Federal leaders need to hear from people like you and me, encouraging them to go further and expand the ban to more types of problematic plastic. If enough people speak out now, we can get the attention of federal ministers and keep the plastics issue on the agenda.    Join the cause and tell the government to ban multilayered packaging like sachets, pouches, wrappers, and other problematic plastics.

Apart from my previous effort in other petitions, I also want to support a plastic-free future!

By taking action together, we can make sure the government knows that Canadians still want to see more solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. Your signature, combined with thousands of others, is a powerful call for change — so every voice counts.   Thank you for being a steadfast advocate for our planet. Your support really does make a difference. Let's make history together and inspire the change our planet needs.    Add your voice today.   With hope,   Sarah Head of Oceans and Plastics Campaign, Greenpeace Canada   Source: [1] https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sachet-packaging-market    [2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/01/how-unilever-plastic-sachets-became-a-toxic-scourge-oceans    [3] https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/canada-action.html    [4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/single-use-plastics-explained-1.6498061   [5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/726724/weight-of-most-common-items-found-in-global-oceans/#:~:text=Food%20wrappers%20were%20the%20most,from%20beaches%20and%20the%20ocean

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Eric Barker on "How to get the best sleep of your life."

Barking Up The Wrong Tree September 4th, 2023 Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my new book become a bestseller! To check it out, click here. How To Get The Best Sleep Of Your Life: Six Secrets From Research (Click here to read on the blog)  Ah, sleep. That miniature coma we indulge in when reality becomes too tiresome to endure. It's essentially the "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" of life. The health negatives of not getting enough sleep are serious. Research has found risk associations between short sleep and hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia. Sleeping less than six hours a night is associated with a 20% higher chance of heart attack. Research shows two weeks of sleeping six hours a night is the cognitive equivalent of being legally drunk. It's like some twisted game show where the prize is a slow descent into mediocrity. Sleep deprivation impairs cognition, memory, and attention. And attention spans these days are already shorter than a Hollywood marriage, so you don’t wanna make it worse. Studiesshow when students in the top 10 percent of their class are restricted to under seven hours of sleep a night, they perform like students in the bottom 10 percent. And if that’s not enough for you, being tired actually makes it harder to be happy. One of the key functions of REM sleep is the processing of emotional memories. When you don’t get enough REM sleep it can reach the equivalent of PTSD – you’re unable to separate memories from emotions. It's like someone put all the feelings in a blender, hit "puree," and poured the resulting slurry directly into your skull. And if none of this convinces you, I’ll appeal to your vanity: there is such a thing as beauty sleep. Not getting enough shut eye makes you less attractive. Ready to do something about it? Let's pull the covers off the world of sleep and do an exhaustive examination of the subject. We’ll draw from four books: “Sleep: A Very Short Introduction”, “The Mystery of Sleep”, “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity”, and “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.” Let’s get to it... How Much Sleep Do We Need? Our bodies demand a daily eight-hour sabbatical from existence. The National Sleep Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend 7 to 9 hours — but neuroscientist Matt Walker says after 10 days of 7 hours your brain is mush whether you realize it or not. So get 8. How much sleep do kids need? We have a clear answer here: as much as possible. After a truly good night’s sleep, you should feel alert shortly after waking up and your mood should be positive. Boredom should not cause sleepiness if you’re well rested. If you feel a strong desire for a nap or doze off while reading, you’re not sleeping well enough. Side note: chronotypes are real – being a night owl or an early riser is at least partly genetic. You’ll struggle if you fight your body’s natural schedule. So if you’re only going to do one thing to improve your nightly slumber, what should it be? Consistency Matt Walker says a consistent sleep schedule is the single most important thing. Go to bed at the same time every night. Wake up at the same time every day. Yes, weekends too. Varying your schedule messes you up more than you think. Studies show Daylight Savings Time shifts lower SAT scores. Similarly, jet lag can be devastating to performing at your best. Don’t just set an alarm to wake up — set an alarm for bedtime. Build yourself a good pre-sleep routine where you wind down at the same time every night. (If you can get someone to read you a bedtime story, all the better.) And you’re not supposed to use your bed for anything other than sleep or sex. (I don’t know about you, but that's quite a tall order for someone who uses their bed as a dining table, an office, and occasionally, a metaphysical escape pod from the rigors of adulting.) Another thing to keep consistent is exercise. Getting at least 2.5 hours a week improves sleep and helps keep your circadian rhythm humming. So what if you know you’re going to be burning the midnight oil over the next few days? Research shows getting extra sleep shortly before an anticipated episode of sleep deprivation can help. Okay, time to discuss all the stuff you put in your mouth that can monkey with sleep... Substances Alcohol No, alcohol doesn’t help you sleep. What it does is actually more akin to anesthesia, which is not “real” sleep. And because it’s not the real deal, your brain can’t do its memory consolidation work properly. Alcohol makes it harder to learn and retain new information. Want optimal sleep? Don’t drink booze. Period. Researchers think alcohol impairs good sleep more than any other factor we can control. If you absolutely must have some, make it one drink before 6PM. (I didn’t intend to recommend day drinking, but here we are.) Sleeping Pills They hit the same receptors in your brain as alcohol, so you get the same results — except their effects on memory are even worse. I’m sure this is going to get me hate mail from Ambien lovers. Emails they won’t remember sending, that is. Ironically, research shows sleeping pills aren’t terribly effective either. Yeah, much of it is the placebo effect. Occasional use is okay. Studies show Trazodone is preferable and has fewer negative effects. But talk to your doctor first -- obviously. Caffeine That wonderful stuff that allows me to form coherent sentences before noon. The important thing to keep in mind here is that the half-life of caffeine is up to six hours. If you have a double espresso at 4PM that means you have an entire shot of espresso in your bloodstream at 10PM. So if you want the best sleep possible, only use caffeine in the morning or early afternoon. Decaf isn’t really decaf. It actually contains 15-30% of the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee. So if you drink three cups of decaf after dinner, well, don’t be surprised if you’re staring at the ceiling at 2AM. (To learn more about the science of coffee, click here.) If you’re like me, you won’t be quitting caffeine any time soon so what’s the best way to use it? “Little and often” is the trick. Big doses don’t provide much bigger benefits. Opt for one cup of tea, weak coffee or soda every 2 hours. It’s best to have your last dose 10 hours before bed. Miscellaneous Don’t eat anything less than three hours before bedtime—and ideally longer. Mattress quality doesn’t matter. And if your partner snores, get them to do something about it. Nobody needs to be serenaded nightly by the sound of a congested walrus. Now you’ve probably heard blue light before bed is bad. But that’s wrong... Light All light before bed is bad. Blue is just worse. That sleep hormone melatonin doesn’t just immediately flood your system when you flip the light switch off. It takes time. So dim the lights long before you’re ready to hit the sack. The sleep gurus will tell you: "You should avoid screens before bedtime." Well, I'm sorry, but I live in the 21st century, where avoiding screens is like avoiding oxygen. It’s the same as someone from the 15th century being advised to avoid parchment or quills before bedtime. But, sadly… the gurus are right. Put the phone away two hours before bed. News, work email, and social media (where everyone is screaming for attention and no one is actually listening) is double bad before bed because you don’t want anything that’s going to get you worked up. Some of this may seem obvious. So what don’t we hear enough about when it comes to communing with the Sandman? Temperature Your body wants its core temperature low when you sleep. So it’s gotta dump all that heat you’re producing. This is why you often see people’s feet or arms sticking out from under the covers: unconscious heat regulation. Keep your bedroom nice and cool, preferably around sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. For super sleep, take a hot bath before bed. It doesn’t just relax you; it dilates blood vessels, allowing your body to ditch all that extra core warmth. This can boost NREM sleep by up to 15%. Exercise definitely improves sleep but you don’t want to do it within 3 hours of bedtime because — guess what? It raises your core temperature. And now it’s time to discuss something glorious. That splendid intermission in the daily theater of life, the pit stop in the grand prix of consciousness, the pause button in the action movie that is existence. You know, the tiny vacation your brain takes when it decides it’s had enough of you... Naps They’re like a protest against the manic pace of life, a small mutiny against the tyranny of adulthood. Acts of personal revolution, miniature vacations from reality, oases of quiet in the chaos of life. (Yes, I like naps.) Naps increase alertness and performance on the job, enhance learning ability and purge negative emotions while enhancing positive ones. But naps are a double-edged sword. Too late or too long and you might have trouble passing out at your regular bedtime – and we know a consistent sleep schedule is important. There’s a peculiar alchemy in the timing of naps. If you hit the sweet spot, you awake feeling reborn. Miss it, and It's like your body has just performed a system reboot and the operating system is still loading. Definitely aim for under 45 minutes -- or if you’re really sleep deprived, 90-120 minutes. Anything in between is likely to give you that groggy feeling of “sleep inertia.” Some research says the best naps are 10 minutes longbut no nap is too short. A 2008 study showed that even a nap of a few minutes provided benefits. Heck, just anticipating a nap lowers blood pressure. If you’re a morning person, the best time to nap is around 1 or 1:30PM. If you’re a night owl, nap later, around 2:30 or 3PM. Please set an alarm. You don’t want to pull a "Rumpelstiltskin" – when you intend to take a 20-minute power nap and wake up seven hours later wondering what year it is. You check your phone, half expecting to see messages from your grandkids asking why you missed their high school graduation. To make sure you’re productive after your nap, drink a cup of coffee right before laying down. Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in. You’ll wake up ready to go. Okay, sleepyhead, time to round it all up. And we’ll learn the best ways to defeat the monster called insomnia... Sum Up Here’s how to get the best sleep of your life: How much sleep do you need?: Aim for eight hours. Yes, sleep is a twisted game of freeze tag where you're “it” for an entire third of your life. Consistency: Want a blissful journey to the Land of Nod? Wake at the same time and go to bed at the same time every day. This is the single most important tip. Substances: Alcohol, sleeping pills, and caffeine all reduce sleep quality. Booze is the worst. Trying to perform at your best after a night of drinking is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the needle is also made of hay, and you're not entirely certain what a needle is. Light: I know, the digitally addicted Gollum inside your head is clutching your phone and whispering, "Precious. We needs it." Sorry. Avoid screens and darken your home before bed. Temperature: A room that’s a little chilly helps you pass out. You’ll sleep so hard you’ll wake up in positions the Kama Sutra doesn’t cover. Naps: There's nothing quite like the pure decadence of a fully clothed, middle-of-the-day, under-the-covers bed nap. That's right, full bed. Not messing around here. Keep it short so it doesn’t stop you from getting to sleep that night. It starts innocently enough. You slide into bed, all fresh and cozy, a human burrito of hope. You close your eyes and wait for the sleep fairy to come along and sprinkle you with dream dust. But instead, insomnia's got plans and you're part of them. This is usually when your brain decides that it's the perfect time for an impromptu screening of "Every Awkward Moment of Your Life: The Director's Cut." You've bathed in chamomile tea and tried every sleep meditation app till the sound of a calming voice makes you want to throw your phone across the room. Warm milk? Tastes like heated-up regret. Oh, count sheep. Like organizing a phantom livestock census at 3 AM is gonna help? What’s the secret here? Don’t fight it. Get out of bed and do something relaxing and boring. Don’t do anything productive or you’re training your brain that being up at this hour has a purpose. If the insomnia recurs, try “sleep restriction.” Only able to sleep 6 hours a night continuously? Then restrict yourself to 5. You’ll feel like poop the next day and crash hard… And that night only let yourself sleep 5 hours and 15 minutes. Now you feel like double poop and will be out before your head hits the pillow. So go to 5 hours and 30 minutes… And as long as you sleep through the night, incrementally increase the amount of sleep you allow yourself. No naps. Studies show sleep restriction is more effective than medication. One final tip for great sleep overall? Give yourself permission to get more sleep. This is critical and doesn’t get enough attention. Admit that sleep is important and be willing to be make sacrifices in order to get it. Please give these tips a shot and get that sweet, delicious taste of oblivion tonight. As someone who’s spent most of his life battling the treacherous beast known as “waking hours” I swear it can make all the difference in the world. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a flock of sheep to audit. ***If you are one of those lovely people who bought "Plays Well With Others" please leave a review on Amazon here. Thanks!***  Email Extras Findings from around the internet...  + Want to know what activity can reduce your chance of dementia? Click here.  + Want to know the simple thing shown to help you achieve your goals? Click here.  + Want to know which life events are most likely to change your personality? Click here.  + Miss my prior post? Here you go: This Is How To Succeed Under Pressure: 4 Secrets From Astronauts.  + Want to know how fast you can speed up videos and audio without reducing learning? Click here.  + You read to the end of the email. I hope you're not too tired to accept my undying gratitude. Yup -- it's Crackerjack time: want to learn more about the science of coffee -- and how to make the best cup? For the answers, click here. Thanks for reading! Eric  PS: If a friend forwarded this to you, you can sign up to get the weekly email yourself here.

This email was sent to human4usbillions@gmail.com

DO YOU WANT TO VISIT THE SPACE STATION?

   We are too small and as yet without the capacity to measure with definitive accuracy our constantly changing universe. However...

 As tiny bits of conscious matter existing on a comparative minuscule planet in an Atom sized galaxy, we are too tiny and as yet without the technological capacity to accurately measure the size and age of our entire magnificent Universe...however...

 We do have wonderfully transcending imaginations and with high intelligence and plenty of imagination along with hard work and more than average courage, our scientists and Astronauts have created a magnificent international space station which is now in low orbit circling the Earth.

  Our scientists did not forget the rest of us down here on ground zero, however,  as they created an astonishing virtual reality program so realistic it literally captures our brains and creates for us the sensation of being transported directly into the I.S.S..

 Once the virtual reality head sets are placed accurately on our heads, our bodies are turned into Pixie dust and our fellow space travellers are turned into small Blue Orbs floating around near us like ghosts in the movie Scrooge. In groups of Ten we mingle with the Astronauts working inside the space station. We can also walk through walls and place ourselves outside the space station where we experience the terrifying void of space. It is reassuring to feel the hard floor under our feet and remembering we are experiencing an illusion. The floor reminded me not to panic and the total experience created in me a feeling of awe and admiration as well as respect for the scientists and Astronauts who in reality have worked and continue to work inside and outside the international space station. 

 The virtual reality program can be found at the Old Port next to the boat marina in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is called INFINITY and it is slightly expensive at forty dollars but I highly recommend a visit.

This is N.J. Raglione

Signing off...

 

 

MY DON'T DO LIST.

1.  Don't gamble!     I used my credit card to gamble online with Casino Classic in the U.K., and I enjoyed their animated gambling games! They were beautifully created and gave me the feeling I had a real chance at winning. That and the fact they are fun games! 

  However, when it came time for them to pay winnings back into my bank credit card. they asked me for personal identification. They asked me for my bank information or my medical card information or my passport. In other words, they basically refused to pay out if I did not provide personal information. I began to suspect them as identity thieves. After you register with them, Casino Classic will almost immediately remove money from your credit card, but will refuse to put your winnings back into the same credit card...they claim the credit cards do not allow the process! That was strange because almost every small commercial establishment will return money back into your credit card if you return an unwanted product.  

Here in Quebec, Canada, I signed up with Loto Quebec and quickly realized their online games were less amusing than those of the U.K..

The Quebec online Casino games pay out almost nothing and after removing a good chunk of change from your credit card, Loto Quebec will help you "manage"' your gambling by creating a confusing limit system by which you basically stop yourself from playing, even when you begin to understand and win their games. At first you believe Loto Quebec is doing it for your own good until you realize how little they pay when you do "win"! As for example: One game allowed me to win Six Cents for every Twenty Cents I bet. With great musical fanfare, almost every spin allowed me to win...less than my bet. When I did achieve a so called "Jack Pot" it was correlated close to what I put in. In other words...DON'T GAMBLE ON LINE....THEY WILL NOT LET YOU WIN!

 

DO YOU BELIEVE, DEAR FRIENDS, IN ALL MIGHTY "T.E.E.O.T.U."? WELL YOU SHOULD! GRIN!
By N. J. Raglione.

  Black holes lead me to think of the religious concept of creation and also on the science based concept of "A Big Bang". Here is my take on the all mighty T.E.E.O.T.U. No, not a misspelling...read on dear reader!

  I enjoy reading expert theories on how our Universe began. According to both religious scholars and science experts there was something that began the Universe. It led me to an impossible conclusion! The concept of Eternity. There was zero beginning and there will not be an ending! 

Millions of people today continue to believe in the concept of  a God while Millions more believe in a science based concept of a Big Bang or whatever it was they believe began our Universe. If there was a Big Bang, the question is, who lit the fuse? Was it a God? What existed in the first place to create a beginning for everything else? If there was no beginning than eternal energy is mind boggling to contemplate and so in my philosophical theory...Hey! If everybody else can theorize why not me!?... In the past human imagination took over in an effort to explain what could not be explained by any other method. Imaginative Gods were created to explain almost everything not understood by evolving humans and later, when science began to win over religion, Black holes were predicted by Albert Einstein who believed strongly in the power of imagination to help him understand the universe. I believe that he also contemplated a beginning to the universe but I am positive that when he contemplated eternal energy, he discovered the joy of total ignorance. Nobody on Earth understands how the Universe began and that includes (though they may disagree) the best scientific minds on Earth. As a philosophic writer immersed in science I certainly don't understand the immensity of the Universe and so I have created a Deity to join the ranks of all the Deities on Earth:           T.E.E.O.T.U. the all mighty!
No, I am not crazy! TEEOTU is an acronym for: The Eternal Energy of the Universe and no priest or philosopher or scientist fully understands T.E.E.O.T.U. even those presently using the marvellous new James Web telescope to explore deep deep deep space.

For a romp around the universe I suggest you visit the N.A.S.A.COM picture gallery.

Have a great day and may you fully enjoy our mighty T.E.E.O.T.U. !

Signed: Nelson Joseph Raglione...the not so mighty N.J.R..

ATTENTION! WOMEN OF THE WORLD!

Iran: International community must stand with women and girls defying compulsory veiling

The Iranian authorities are doubling down on their oppressive methods of policing and severely oppressing Iranian women and girls for defying degrading compulsory veiling laws, Amnesty International said today.

In a detailed analysis published today, the organization exposes the authorities’ intensified nationwide crackdown on women and girls who choose not to wear headscarves in public. In the latest escalation on 16 July, the spokesperson of Iran’s police, Saeed Montazer-Almahdi, announced the return of police patrols to enforce compulsory veiling and threatened legal action against women and girls who defy forced veiling. This coincided with videos circulating on social media, depicting women being violently assaulted by officials in Tehran and Rasht, and security forces firing teargas towards people helping women escape arrests in Rasht.

Official announcements reveal that since 15 April 2023, more than a million women have received text messages warning that their vehicles could be confiscated after they were captured on camera without their headscarves. Additionally, countless women have been suspended or expelled from universities, barred from sitting final exams, and denied access to banking services and public transport. Hundreds of businesses have been forcibly closed for not enforcing compulsory veiling. The intensified crackdown exposes the dubious nature of the Iranian authorities’ previous claims of disbanding the “morality” police, amid contradictory official statements over its return to Iranian streets.  

“Morality policing in Iran is back. The authorities are not fooling anyone by removing the insignia of the ‘morality’ police from uniforms and patrol vans, while emboldening the enforcers of the Islamic Republic’s oppression and subjugation of women and girls to engage in the same violence that killed Mahsa Zhina Amini with impunity. Today’s crackdown is intensified by mass surveillance technologies capable of identifying unveiled women in their cars and pedestrian spaces,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

Morality policing in Iran is back. The authorities are not fooling anyone by removing the insignia of the ‘morality’ police…, while emboldening the enforcers of the Islamic Republic’s oppression.

 Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

“The intensified crackdown on unveiling reflects the Iranian authorities’ deplorable disregard for the human dignity and rights of women and girls to autonomy, privacy and freedom of expression, religion, and belief. It also underscores a desperate attempt by the authorities to reassert their dominance and power over those who dared to stand up against decades of oppression and inequality during the “Woman. Life. Freedom.” uprising.

A woman in Esfahan province who received an SMS message ordering her to immobilize her car for 15 days for removing her headscarf when driving told Amnesty International: “Emotionally and psychologically, all these threats they [the authorities] have made have had a very negative impact on us… The Islamic Republic wants to show that they can go to any extent when it comes to enforcing compulsory veiling… They want to present themselves to the international community as moving away from violence but, in reality, they are carrying out these actions discreetly. They are truly creating fear in our existence.”  

They want to present themselves to the international community as moving away from violence but, in reality, they are carrying out these actions discreetly. They are truly creating fear in our existence.

A woman in Esfahan who recieved a ban for defying veiling

On 14 June 2023, the spokesperson of Iran’s police announced that since 15 April 2023, the police have sent almost one million SMS warning messages to women captured unveiled in their cars, issued 133,174 SMS messages requiring the immobilization of vehicles for a specific duration, confiscated 2,000 cars, and referred more than 4,000 “repeat offenders” to the judiciary across the country. He added that 108,211 reports on the enforcement of compulsory veiling laws had been gathered about the commission of “offences” within businesses and that 300 “offenders” had been identified and referred to the judiciary.

Catalogue of penalties for those defying compulsory veiling

In an attempt to further codify and intensify this crackdown, judicial and executive authorities presented the “Bill to Support the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” to parliament on 21 May 2023. Under this proposed legislation, women and girls who appear without headscarves in public spaces and on social media or who show “nakedness of a body part or wear thin or tight clothes” will face a catalogue of penalties that will severely impact their human rights, including social and economic rights. These include monetary fines, confiscation of cars and communication devices, driving bans, deductions to salary and employment benefits, dismissal from work, and prohibition on accessing banking services.

The draft bill includes proposals to sentence women and girls convicted of defying veiling laws “on a systemic basis or in collusion with foreign intelligence and security services” to two to five years’ imprisonment as well as travel bans and forced residency in a specified location.  

Managers of public institutions and private businesses who allow unveiled employees and customers within their premises would face penalties ranging from closures to lengthy prison sentences and travel bans.

The bill proposes a range of sanctions against athletes, artists and other public figures defying veiling laws including bans on engagement in professional activities, imprisonment, flogging and fines.

On 23 July 2023, a parliamentary committee indicated that it sent the revised bill consisting of 70 articles to the open floor of Iran’s parliament for review. The revised text has not been made public.

Simultaneously, the authorities have relied on the Islamic Penal Code to prosecute and impose degrading punishments on women who appear in public without headscarves. Amnesty International has reviewed verdicts issued against six women in June or July 2023 requiring them to attend counselling sessions for “anti-social personality disorder”, wash corpses in a morgue or clean government buildings.

This assault on women’s and girls’ rights is taking place amid a spate of hateful statements by officials and state media, referring to unveiling as a “virus”, “social illness” or “ disorder” and equating the choice to appear without a headscarf to “sexual depravity”. 

The Iranian authorities must abolish compulsory veiling, quash all convictions and sentences for defying compulsory veiling, drop all charges against all those facing prosecution, and unconditionally release anyone in detention for defying compulsory veiling. The authorities must abandon plans to punish women and girls for exercising their rights to equality, privacy, and freedom of expression, religion, and belief.  

The international community must not stand idly by as the Iranian authorities intensify their oppression of women and girls.

 Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

“The international community must not stand idly by as the Iranian authorities intensify their oppression of women and girls. The response of states should not be limited to forceful public statements and diplomatic interventions, but also involve the pursuit of legal pathways to hold Iranian officials accountable for ordering, planning, and committing widespread and systematic human rights violations against women and girls through the implementation of compulsory veiling. All governments must do everything in their power to support women and girls fleeing gender-based persecution and serious human rights violations in Iran, ensure they can access swift and safe refugee procedures and under no circumstances should they be forcibly returned to Iran,” said Callamard. 

Top photo: Amnesty International

Related Posts:

• Iran: International community must not be deceived by dubious claims of disbanding ‘morality police’ 
• Protect the Protest in Iran: the legacy of Mahsa Amini 
• Iran: World must take meaningful action against bloody crackdown as death toll rises 
• Mahsa Amini and the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran