16-Year-Old Girl Dies by Suicide After Harassment Over Headscarf
A 16-year-old student, Arezo Khavari, took her own life after confrontations with school officials over not wearing a headscarf and threats of expulsion from school.
Arezo's father has filed a formal complaint against the school officials and the principal. Pardis Rabiee, a women's rights activist, reported that Arezo was very social and had many friends, according to some of her friends.
During a school trip on Tuesday, the assistant principal reprimanded Arezo for her attire. To ease tensions, Arezo even changed her trousers.
She had been wearing jeans that day and briefly removed her headscarf while playfully interacting with classmates, an act the assistant principal disapproved of. The assistant principal reportedly filmed Arezo and threatened to report the video to the principal, which could lead to her expulsion.
As an Afghan national, Arezo already faced challenges in enrolling at school. A source told IranWire, “One of Arezo’s classmates said that simply for removing her scarf and enjoying herself, she experienced intense stress.
The threat of expulsion as a non-Iranian made her extremely anxious. Throughout the trip, she vomited repeatedly from the overwhelming stress.”
When activist Pardis Rabiee questioned Mahnaz Qanbari, the school principal, about the incident, Qanbari responded they were awaiting the medical examiner’s report.
Hossein Raisi, a lawyer specializing in children's rights, said, "This is not an ordinary suicide. For individuals under 18 who attempt or complete suicide, all contributing factors must be thoroughly examined.
Anyone who endangered the child, neglected their protection, or encouraged such an act bears criminal liability."
Raisi also explained that under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, endangering a child constitutes criminal responsibility.
According to the Child and Adolescent Protection Law of 2020, those interacting with children—including school supervisors, principals, and teachers - have a duty to ensure a safe environment. Neglect, abuse, or encouraging self-harm creates a dangerous setting for which they are held accountable.
Arezo’s math teacher reported that, after returning from the trip, Arezo was called into the principal’s office. “She went in visibly distressed and later asked me, ‘Please pray they don’t expel me.’”
Her father, a metalworker who transports materials in his truck, received a call from the school on the day of the incident, informing him that Arezo was wearing jeans instead of her uniform. Hours later, the school told her family she had left without permission.
According to her classmates, Arezo’s mother and brother began searching for her, but the school staff, including the principal and assistant principal, showed no concern for her whereabouts.
An hour later, the family was called to Haft-e Tir hospital in Shahr-e Rey, where they found Arezo's lifeless body.
Arezo’s father filed a police complaint at the Shahr-e Rey station against the school officials, including the principal. As an Afghan national, he has little hope that justice will be served in his daughter’s case.
Arezo’s friends noted that school officials had previously mistreated her. “Last year, they reprimanded her for being cheerful, laughing too much, and having too many friends. They criticized her hijab and initially resisted enrolling her,” said one friend.
Her classmates said the administration frequently threatens students with expulsion over minor issues.
According to IranWire sources, several girls on the trip confirmed that the assistant principal filmed Arezo without her scarf and threatened to report her to the principal.
Lawyer Hossein Raisi said that all individuals who contributed to creating a dangerous environment for Arezo are "responsible." The parties closest to the incident, the principal and assistant principal, who threatened her with expulsion, bear primary responsibility.
Raisi criticized the school system’s excessive emphasis on hijab and dress codes, adding that Arezo Khavari’s case wasn’t fundamentally about hijab.
He questioned the significance of wearing jeans or a headscarf, emphasizing that dress code violations do not justify putting a child in danger.
One more photo below.
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