Hijab pressures, LGBTQ rights, ‘antifeminists’: the challenges Asian women, gender minorities faced in 2022

Hundreds have died and thousands were detained during hijab-burning protests in Iran, but some women and LGBTQ groups elsewhere have made significant gains

But it seems to be one step forward and two back; for example, Singapore voted to decriminalise gay sex but maintain status quo on man-woman marriage

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In Indonesia, more women are facing pressure to don the hijab amid rising Islamic conservatism. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:00pm, 26 Dec 2022Updated: 4:26pm, 26 Dec 2022

From hijab-burning protests in Iran to faltering progress on LGBTQ issues, 2022 has presented ongoing challenges for women and gender minorities in Asia.

But this year also saw women breaking barriers: Malaysia had a number of women shaking up a political scene historically saturated by men, and, across Asia, women continue to do their part in addressing traditional and emerging security issues through peacebuilding – despite the importance of their efforts often going unrecognised.

Here is a look at some of This Week in Asia’s coverage of gender-related issues that made headlines across the region this past year.

Fight against religious conservatism

Protesters clash with police following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran, Iran, in September. Hundreds of people have since died. Photo: EPA-EFE/STR

All eyes were on Iran as hijab-burning protests spread nationwide over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, following her arrest by Tehran’s notorious morality police.

Amini died on September 16, days after being urgently hospitalised following her arrest by police over alleged violations of Iran’s Islamic dress law while visiting relatives in Tehran.

The protests grew into one of the most significant challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, with at least 475 people killed and 18,000 detained.

What followed was a deadly crackdown by police and the ongoing persecution and execution of detainees convicted for their alleged involvement in the protests.

Indonesian Muslims praying at a mosque in East Java. Photo: via Reuters