Femena is deeply concerned about the latest directive issued by Syria’s General Commission for Fisheries and Aquaculture, which requires female employees to adhere to a restrictive dress code dictating how they should present themselves in the workplace. The directive instructs women to wear “modest” clothing, defined as attire covering all parts of the body except the face and hands, while prohibiting tight, short, or revealing clothing that it considers incompatible with the government work environment. By relying on broad and subjective standards, the directive grants authorities broad discretion to police women’s appearance and opens the door to arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement.
This latest directive recalls a series of earlier measures that have increasingly restricted women’s autonomy over their own bodies and appearance.
In 2026, the Latakia Governorate issued a circular prohibiting female public employees from wearing makeup during official working hours. Before that, in 2025, the Ministry of Tourism introduced regulations governing women’s attire at public beaches and swimming pools. Both measures were later withdrawn following public criticism, demonstrating that public pressure can successfully challenge discriminatory policies. However, the emergence of yet another directive targeting women’s appearance underscores a recurring pattern that remains deeply concerning.
Although these directives were issued by different public institutions, together they reflect an alarming trend of increasing institutional control over women’s bodies, appearance, and personal choices. Rather than isolated administrative decisions, these measures normalize state interference in women’s lives and reinforce discriminatory standards that apply disproportionately to women.
We view these directives as direct restrictions on women’s rights. Controlling how women dress, present themselves, or express their identities is not a matter of workplace discipline or public order; it is a matter of equality, dignity, bodily autonomy, and freedom.
These measures risk creating an environment in which women’s access to employment and public life becomes increasingly conditioned on compliance with gender-specific expectations. Such restrictions undermine women’s equal participation in society and contribute to shrinking civic space for women and women human rights defenders alike.
Femena calls on the Syrian authorities and all public institutions to immediately revoke discriminatory directives regulating women’s appearance and to ensure that all workplace policies fully respect the principles of equality, non-discrimination, bodily autonomy, and human dignity in line with international human rights standards.
Women’s bodies must never become the subject of institutional control. Every woman has the right to decide how she dresses, presents herself, and participates in public life free from coercion, discrimination, or state interference.