(AP) A U.N. racism rapporteur has criticized the recently implemented Dutch burqa ban as doing “more harm than good.”
Tendayi Achiume, a rapporteur for the U.N. Human Rights Council, said Monday that the small number of women who wear face-covering Islamic veils reported suffering more harassment since the law went into force on Aug. 1.
While the law bans all sorts of face-covering clothing on public transportation, in government buildings and at health and education institutions, Achiume said “the political discourse surrounding it has made clear that Muslim women are its intended targets.”
She added: “This law has no place in a society that prides itself in promoting gender equality.”
