HRCM calls on authorities to stop forced head shaves at prisons

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has called on authorities to stop forcing male inmates to shave or cut their hair and beard.

The rights watchdog made the call in a paper published following a review of the current policy on haircuts for inmates.

In its review, the HRCM found that there is no law that requires inmates to wear their hair or beard a certain way. The current policy on haircuts for inmates is based on the code of conduct for inmates formulated under articles 97 and 150 of the Prisons and Parole Act.

The code of conduct specifies the length that male inmates need to keep their hair, including facial fair; the hair must be no longer than two centimeters, beards must be shaved or kept no longer than two inches, and mustaches must be shaved or kept no longer than two centimeters. It also states that inmates who violate the requirements will be punished in accordance with set disciplinary mechanisms.

The HRCM said that the purpose of requiring haircut facilities to be in place in prisons is to provide hair cutting services when inmates voluntarily ask for it. It said that the law does not mandate haircuts.

The commission made six key recommendations while calling on authorities to amend the current policy.

• Repeal article 8 of the code of conduct for inmates as haircuts are linked to hygiene and not discipline.
• Stipulate in regulations and policies that requesting for haircuts is up to the inmates themselves.
• Stop treating how inmates wear their hair or beard as disciplinary grounds to deny parole or a place in rehabilitation programs.
• Stipulate in regulations and policies that inmates will not be forced to shave or cut their hair and beard unless it is recommended by a medical officer for personal health reasons or a measure to prevent the spread of a contagious disease within the prison.
• Haircuts given to inmates at the recommendation of medical experts must be carried out without infringing on their inherent human dignity, and must be recorded in writing.
• Respect the decision of inmates who refuse to cut their hair or beard due to religious beliefs.

HRCM is investigating at least one instance where an inmate claims to have been given a forced haircut and tortured in the process, and once instance where an inmate enrolled in a prison-run rehab program claims he is being forced to take a haircut and that inmates are losing placement in rehab programs for refusing to cut their hair.