# Austria's policies on women's rights and religious dress

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/austrias-policies-on-womens-rights-and-religious-dress
> Updated: 2026-08-01T09:10:08.000Z. Sources: 3. Developments: 2.

In July 2026 Austria’s Constitutional Court upheld the ban on headscarves in schools, rejecting petitions that challenged the restriction. Less than a month later, the federal government announced a new protective‑letter scheme aimed at preventing female genital mutilation (FGM). The initiative, part of a national action plan against violence toward women and girls, will issue identification‑style documents to individuals at risk, criminalising the practice and its facilitation abroad. Together, these actions illustrate Austria’s broader approach of enforcing limits on certain religious symbols in public education while expanding protective measures against harmful cultural practices affecting women and girls.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-01: Austria to launch protective letter against female genital mutilation this autumn

Austria will issue a protective letter this autumn to educate at‑risk families about the ban on female genital mutilation, punish offenders, and distribute it via schools, churches and the integration fund.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/austria-to-launch-protective-letter-against-female-genital-mutilation-this-autumn

### 2026-07-09: Austria's Constitutional Court Rejects Petitions Against School Headscarf Ban

Austria's constitutional court dismissed five girls' petitions against the upcoming school headscarf ban, ruling they were not yet directly affected; the law takes effect on 1 September.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/austrias-constitutional-court-rejects-petitions-against-school-headscarf-ban

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Cite as: Austria's policies on women's rights and religious dress. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/austrias-policies-on-womens-rights-and-religious-dress