Austrian lawmakers on Thursday are expected to approve a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14, a move rights groups and experts say is discriminatory and could deepen societal division.

Axar.az reports, citing France 24, Austria's conservative-led government -- under pressure at a time when anti-immigration sentiment is running high -- proposed the ban earlier this year. They argue it is to protect girls "from oppression".

In 2019, when the country introduced a ban on headscarves in primary schools, the constitutional court struck it down, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory. This time however, the government insists that its law is constitutional.

The law, if passed, would prevent girls younger than 14 from wearing headscarves that "cover the head in accordance with Islamic traditions" in all schools.

"When a girl... is told that she must hide her body... to protect herself from the gaze of men, it's not a religious ritual, but oppression," Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm said when presenting the bill.

The ban, which applies to "all forms" of the Islamic veil including hijabs and burqas, would take full effect with the start of the new school year in September, Plakolm said.

From February, an initial period would be launched during which the new rules would be explained to educators, parents and children with no penalties for breaking them.

But for repeated non-compliance, parents would face fines ranging from 150 to 800 euros ($175-930).

The government said that about 12,000 girls would be affected by the new law, basing its figures on a 2019 study that showed that approximately 3,000 girls aged below 14 wore a headscarf six years ago.