Loading ...Turkey’s government has banned all school pupils nationwide from having tattoos or body piercings in a new dress code deemed oppressive and unenforceable, according to the law’s critics.
While tattoos are not widespread among older generations, they have seen a surge in popularity amongst the young and secular sectors of society.
The measure, imposed by the government and published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, also prohibited a number of other things such as dyeing hair, wearing makeup and moustaches and beards for boys, according to local media reports.
Students could be punished through reprimands, suspension or expulsion. If a student fails to get a tattoo removed the punishment is not yet clear.
It shortly follows a previous set of measures which permitted the wearing Muslim headscarves in schools which critics has also denounced as corrosive of Turkey’s secular ideals.
Opponents and critics have said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent moves constitute steps towards the Islamisation of the country.