This blog is written by Girraj Sharma, a Third-year law student of Jaipur National University

INTRODUCTION

Laws are essential for countries to regulate and maintain order in society. The world comprises 195 nations, each with its distinct population, social structures, heritage, practices, and legal systems. However, certain regulations can be peculiar, prompting one to wonder about their origins. Across the globe, there exist various unusual laws, ranging from mandates to maintain a constant smile to prohibitions on denim attire. These unconventional rules are scattered throughout different countries, reflecting the diverse nature of legal systems worldwide. These laws may look strange and weird to one person, but the same law might be essential and logical to others.

These quirky laws may look strange, but they are rooted in their culture, traditions, customs, and historical circumstances. Every law has a purpose, demonstrating its necessity. This blog will explore some unusual regulations from various countries that remain in force or have recently been abolished.

1. Prohibition of chewing gum (SINGAPORE)

Chewing gum is readily available everywhere except Singapore. Singapore bans the consumption of chewing bum, and the import and export of chewing is also banned in the country. This law came into force on January 3, 1992, and according to the Environment Ministry (ENV), it had two reasons behind it.

The first reason was, according to the statement that was released by the Environment Ministry (ENV) in December 1991 before the ban on chewing gum, that these gums stuck between the doors of mass rapid transit (MRT) trains, which caused the train to stop because the doors were not closed properly. The second reason was careless disposal of gum, which caused cleaning problems in public places.

Punishment:

· Those who are found importing chewing gum will be held liable for up to a S$10,000 fine and one-year imprisonment.

· S$20,000 fine and imprisonment up to 2 years for second time or repeat offender.

2. Naming laws in Denmark

A name given by parents to their child becomes an identity of the child and stays with the child forever. There are millions of options for parents to choose a name for their child but not in Denmark. The country enforces strict naming regulations, limiting parents to a selection of 7,000 government-approved and registered names. According to this law, the name must show the gender of the child, and these names must align with Danish orthography.

If parents want to have a name that is not in the 7000 names list, then they have to apply to the Ankestyrelsen (National Social Appeals Board of Denmark) for the approval of that particular name, and after the approval, they can choose that name for their child. Any name that is not registered and approved by the government cannot be legally registered, which may cause problems for the children’s legal documents.

This law was introduced to protect children from having harmful or inappropriate names and that children not get bullied in school or college for having different names. One other reason behind this law is to have names that align with Danish linguistic and cultural norms.

3. legally required to walk your dog 3 times a day (Turin, Italy)

Yes, it is true. If you live in Turin, Italy, then you should be aware of this law that requires the dog or pet owner to walk their dog three times a day. The reason behind this law is very simple. This law was made to protect dogs from animal cruelty. Not only for dogs, but Italy has many strict laws for animal protection. This law came into force in 2005 by the city’s municipal government.

This law relies upon the help of the tipster to ensure that citizens are following this law. They give information to the police about any cruelty to any animal.

Punishment:

· Anyone caught breaking this law will face a fine. The amount of the fine can be from €25 to €500.

4. Legally required to smile all the time (Milan, Italy)

Another strange law from Italy is that in Milan, citizens must smile all the time except for people working and visiting hospitals and at funerals. This law is from the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th century, and it still exists because it was never repealed. At present, this law only exists in books and is rarely enforced.

The idea behind this law was to keep public morale high and cheerful during political and social tension. In historic times, the punishment for violation of this law was a fine, but the amount of the fine was never fixed and varied over time.

5. It is illegal to wear jeans (North Korea)

Jeans are an important part of fashion that can go with anything and on any occasion, but not in North Korea because in North Korea, wearing jeans is illegal. No matter how bizarre it may sound, it's true. The reason behind this law is that jeans are considered Western culture, particularly American culture, and also to maintain strict control over the citizens and cultural influence.

Jeans are the tip of the iceberg because many daily-use fashion items are banned in North Korea, such as sleeveless shirts, hair dye, non-creased pants, T-shirts with foreign lettering, shoulder bags, specifically for women, hair below the waist, etc. After all, all these items are considered symbols of Western culture, which is recognized as a threat to Kim Jong Un’s ideology and authority.

To maintain this law, North Korea has a Fashion Police, which is a special unit that patrols to ensure that no one is breaking the strict dress code. The fashion police are also a reminder to its citizens that outfits are not just for looking good but for loyalty to the country.

PUNISHMENT:

Punishment for breaking this law can be the following:

· Reasonable fine

· Public Shaming

· Or imprisonment

Conclusion:

After knowing the reasoning behind the implementation of these laws, they do not look very quirky. These laws were not made for fun or because of mistakes. Rather, all these laws had an important reason or necessity behind them. These laws reflect the roots, customs, and traditions of the country. Whether it is Italy, which has strict laws for the protection of animals laws that require its citizens to smile all the time, or whether it is North Korea, which bans jeans, all these laws have some kind of history behind them. Once you know these reasons or the history behind these laws, then they don’t seem strange at all.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.thelawyerportal.com/blog/top-10-weirdest-laws-around-world/#:~:text=7.,law%20from%20the%20city's%20council Weird Laws from Around the World.

2. https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=8d4408cb-eb2d-4604-921e-7fa55f51baf3#:~:text=The%20penalties%20for%20violating%20the,was%20a%20first%2Dtime%20offence Chewing gum ban.

3. https://www.thecollector.com/strange-laws-world/ Curious and Strange Laws From Around the World.

4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/style-guide/why-cant-north-koreans-wear-jeans/articleshow/112718965.cms#:~:text=Jeans%20are%20banned%20in%20North,'%2C%20aiming%20to%20maintain%20control Why can’t North Koreans wear jeans?

5. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-strict-name-laws-of-denmark.html#:~:text=Denmark%20is%20one%20such%20nation,cannot%20be%20the%20first%20ones The Strict Name Laws of Denmark