Portugal Bans Burqa: Is It Really About Women’s Rights?

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Portugal has just approved a nationwide ban on full face coverings in public, adding another country to the long list of European nations abolishing burqas and niqabs. Does this protect rights, or restrict them? Is it even about rights at all?

Expose News: Portugal Bans Burqa: A woman in black burqa walks past surveillance cameras and the Portuguese flag. Is it really about women's rights?

Portugal’s Vote: What Passed

The country’s parliament approved a bill banning face coverings worn for religious or gender-related reasons in most public spaces. The measure targets burqas and niqabs with fines of €200-€4,000 and penalises anyone forcing somebody else to veil with up to three years in prison. Introduced by Chega and backed by centre-right parties, the left-wing parties oppose the bill calling it discriminatory and unnecessary in a country where very few women wear full-face coverings. 

What started 15 years ago in France as a way to tackle specific concerns about identification, social cohesion and security continues to spread further and wider than ever. It currently looks like a victory for those seeking improved cultural integration, but is there a bigger picture to consider?

The List Gets Longer

Here’s a recap of other European countries imposing similar bans in recent years: 

  • France was the first in Europe to enact a nationwide ban on full-face coverings, with the law passed in 2010 and effective from 2011 – it was later upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014 
  • Belgium brought in a national ban in July 2011, with violators facing fines 
  • Bulgaria’s national ban was adopted in 2016 
  • Germany introduced partial bans focused on public servants and official duties in 2017 
  • Austria’s Anti-Face-Veiling Act came into force in October 2017 
  • Denmark passed a national ban in May 2018, effective from August that year 
  • Norway introduced a sectoral ban in schools and universities in 2018 
  • Netherlands brought in a partial national ban in public buildings and transport in August 2019 
  • Switzerland’s nationwide ban was approved by referendum in March 2021, with federal law taking effect in January 2025 

Other countries like Italy, Spain and Luxembourg have local or limited measures rather than blanket national bans. 

What They Say the Ban Does

Supporters of Portugal’s new legislation argue that the measure aims to strengthen public safety, facilitate identification, and promote women’s rights and social integration. Chega’s leadership framed the proposal as a means of protecting women from coercion, maintaining that a woman forced to wear a burqa loses autonomy and becomes objectified. According to the party’s leader, immigrants and others arriving in Portugal must adhere to their social norms, including the expectation that faces be visible in public. Members from supporting parties such as the Social Democrats, Liberal Initiative, and CDS-PP cited concerns about identification, public order, and the belief that no tradition or imposition should erase an individual’s presence in society. 

Penalties for breaking this law will result in fines of up to €4,000 in Portugal – the highest in all European countries. Fines are around €150 in France and Austria, and up to 1,000 CHF in Switzerland. 

Is It Really About Security or Women’s Rights?

Supporters brand these bans as pro-women, claiming they protect girls from coercion and affirm equality in public life. Others argue that if the goal were women’s freedom, the policy would centre around choice and support rather than fines and police checks. In practice – especially in Portugal – the ban polices what a tiny minority of women wear, while doing little for victims of abuse or forced marriage who need legal aid, shelters, and community support – not fines for what they wear. 

There’s another angle to consider here too. Keeping in mind that these rules extend beyond just religious clothing, removing face coverings makes everyone machine-readable. As cities roll out CCTV with facial recognition, is the goal to keep everyone trackable? A continent-wide expectation of uncovered faces makes it easier to identify and profile hundreds of millions of people – even though the rule initially looks like it tackles widespread cultural and security concerns.  

Consider protest anonymity, football ultras, or simply masking for privacy in tomorrow’s camera-tracked world. Broad bans today may satisfy voters by targeting religious coverings, but could be diverting attention from the real end-goal. Will it essentially become illegal to hide your face from recognition software in future? 

Final Thought

Portugal’s law follows the same pattern as most major European countries with broad restrictions backed up by financial penalties in the name of freedom, equality and security. Some say the laws represent a stand for women’s rights, while others see them as a symbol of creeping control. As the line between public safety and permanent surveillance blurs, what looks like a victory for social cohesion may in fact be a step closer to total control.  

Join the Conversation

Is Europe’s growing wave of veil bans really about liberation, or is it all about visibility? Are these laws protecting women, or conditioning us to accept constant exposure to tomorrow’s tracking technology? Add your thoughts below. 

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author avatar
g.calder
I’m George Calder — a lifelong truth-seeker, data enthusiast, and unapologetic question-asker. I’ve spent the better part of two decades digging through documents, decoding statistics, and challenging narratives that don’t hold up under scrutiny. My writing isn’t about opinion — it’s about evidence, logic, and clarity. If it can’t be backed up, it doesn’t belong in the story. Before joining Expose News, I worked in academic research and policy analysis, which taught me one thing: the truth is rarely loud, but it’s always there — if you know where to look. I write because the public deserves more than headlines. You deserve context, transparency, and the freedom to think critically. Whether I’m unpacking a government report, analysing medical data, or exposing media bias, my goal is simple: cut through the noise and deliver the facts. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me hiking, reading obscure history books, or experimenting with recipes that never quite turn out right.

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Marta
Marta
2 hours ago

Hi, I am Portuguese. Thanks for covering this issue. This is one more example of how they use the false political divide left vs right to get where they want to go, full surveillance. On Sunday a politician was saying on tv that everyone should be equal before the surveillance cameras, and the worst is how the public cheered and applauded. I suggest people wanting to cover their faces use a “sanitary “ mask, because apparently these won’t be prohibited.

JRoss
JRoss
2 hours ago

I get what you are saying and it could be true. But for me totally covering a woman is unnatural. We are meant to allow the sun access to our skin for Vitamin D production. Our local medical school says that they are seeing more middle eastern children with rickets. If you are darker skinned you need more sunlight and the further away from the equator the more important it is. Who picks up the health tab for this unhealthy obsession?

Anne
Anne
58 minutes ago

Well looking at the dates the burka was banned in these different countries, I would definitely say that the ban has not improved integration. If it was supposed to help and empower women, I would think it has done the complete opposite and forced these women to stay indoors under lockdown.