Progress Report on Realm Work in Jordan

The Karama movement in Jordan signed agreements with the working groups in charge of these realms to implement their proposed solutions to ending violence and discrimination against women at the national level. After initial disbursement of funds for action plans in Jordan, the implementing groups reported on their progress in achievement of project objectives in the realms of economics, politics and law, during the first phase of each group’s projects.

Following is an update on progress at the ground level in Jordan detailed by realm.

Economic Realm

Promoting the societal awareness of the importance of women’s participation in the economic field.

Project Objectives

The project aims at achieving the following targets:

• Raising societal awareness of the importance of women’s participation in the economic domain.
• Raising awareness on the violations being committed against women with regard to their economic rights
• Widening the scope of partnerships by building relations with civil society organizations and institutions that are directly concerned with women’s issues.

Coordinating Organization: Families Development Association

Member Organizations:

• Sisterhood Is Global Institute / Jordan (SIGI)
• Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
• The National Centre for Human Rights
• Local Community Development Centre in North Al Hashimi
• Professional Women Association

Reporting Period: 1/10- 31/12/2009

Activities:

The following activities were implemented during the first phase of the project:

1. Identification of the scope of work
2. Preparation of the plan of action of the project
3. Preparation of a questionnaire to record and document 300 cases of violence in the economic realm, completed in cooperation with the partners
4. Two meetings with the researchers were organized during December at the headquarters of the Association at Gebal Al Qousour on 19/11/2009 and 27/11/2009 respectively to clarify the objectives of the project and the mechanisms of work. During these meetings, we also discussed the content of the questionnaire, how it can be filled in and the targeted sections.
5. Coordination with the partners regarding coordination of the required workshops to increase awareness, as well as recording the cases of human rights’ violations against women so that these statistics can be shared in the form of a database.

The partners participating in this matter are:

• International Institute for Women Solidarity
• Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
• The National Centre for Human Rights
• Local Community Development Centre in North Al Hashimi
• Businesswomen Association

Activities Planned for the Next Phase of Implementation:

1. Finalizing the record of cases and preparing the database for these cases. This will ultimately include 300 documented cases highlighting violations of women’s rights in the targeted areas
2. Preparing a brochure including information that aims at raising awareness on women’s rights under the Labour Law, Social Solidarity Regulations, Personal Statute and Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
3. Following up on the organization and coordination of workshops on raising awareness on women’s rights under the Labour Law, Social Solidarity Regulations, Personal Statute and Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Political Realm

Impact of violence on Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians

Project Objectives:

The objectives of the Project:

• Monitoring the impact of political violence, especially the difficulties facing Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians, by assessing the living conditions of those women and their children in all aspects
• Raising societal awareness on the necessity to end violence against those women and their children
• Identifying the real figures of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians as per official statistics; the results and figures related to this topic should be published in the study
• Forming lobbying groups of decision-makers committed to lifting reservations on CEDAW in general and the rights of husbands and children of Jordanian women to obtain Jordanian nationality in particular.

Coordinating Organization: Arab Women Association

Member Organizations:

• Human Forum for Women’s Rights
• Equality Alliance (50 NGOs)
• Equality Now Organization/ Jordan

Reporting Period: 1/10/2009- 15/1/2010

Activities Completed:

The Arab Women Association implemented the following activities:

1. Organization of four preliminary meetings to discuss the plan of action:
2. Formulation of the plan of action: Meeting held January 4, 2010

Participants included:

• Mrs. Robi Assad
• Mrs. Laila Hamarna, project manager at Arab Women Association
• Mrs. Randa Qasous, Chairperson of the Association
• Mrs. Amneh Halweh, Karama

- Preparation of the initial questionnaire: Meeting held January 16, 2010

Participants included:

• Mrs. Robi Assad
• Mrs. Laila Hamarna, project manager at Arab Women Association
• Mrs. Randa Qasous, Chairperson of the Association
• Mrs. Amneh Halweh, Karama

- Assignment of study (to researchers), during which Mrs. Lamies Nasser was contracted to conduct a study on the impact of violence on Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians: Meeting held on January 17, 2010

Participants included:

• Mrs. Lamies Nasser
• Mrs. Laila Hamarna, project manager at Arab Women Association
• Mrs. Randa Qasous, Chairperson of the Association
• Mrs. Amneh Halweh, Karama

- Update on progress achieved in connection with the questionnaire: Meeting held on January 28, 2010

Participants included:

• Mrs. Lamies Nasser
• Mrs. Laila Hamarna, project manager at Arab Women Association
• Mrs. Randa Qasous, Chairperson of the Association
• Mrs. Amneh Halweh, Karama

Activities Planned for the Next Phase of Implementation:

- The Arab Women Association will organize a symposium at Al Aqba city on 3-4/5/2010 for men and women NGO representatives with the objective of raising societal awareness on the issue of nationality for Jordanian women’s non-Jordanian spouses and children born out of these unions.

Legal Realm

Coordinating Organization: Young Women Christian Association

Member Organizations:

- The Blind Women Forum
- Dozen implementing organizations, including the Family Protection Unit

Objectives:

- Raising the level of awareness of workers, experts, civil servants, policemen, doctors, NGOs and all other sections of the society on the law of protection of women from domestic violence and the negative repercussions of domestic violence and sexual assault

- To underscore the psychological, social and health negative impacts of domestic violence on the victims, families and the society in general, as it is considered one of the forms of violence against women

- Raising the legal awareness of a special category of women, namely, blind women, against whom violence is practiced first because they are women and second because they are blind; to this end, the law on protection of women from domestic violence, CEDAW and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights will be converted into document using Braille language and audio format

Activities Completed:

- Held meetings to develop the final shape of the plan of action for implementation

- Developed plans to increase participation and accessibility of advocacy tools for
individuals with visual disabilities. Plans to incorporate this group include the following
trainings and documentation:

1. Training course to target participants from deferent sectors in which five participants with visual light disabilities will get the chance to participate
2. Training of Trainers, which will improve the capacity of the five participants to train others on the domestic violence law. The Blind Women Forum has the capacity to network with 7 organizations in different places in Jordan and will be instrumental in this training. As a collective, all of those trained in the specifics of the domestic violence law will help promote the law among grassroots initiatives within the local community
3. Brochure translated to Braille, which will discuss the Human Rights Declaration of 1948, CEDAW, the domestic violence law articles, and practical exercises in family mediation