ARDD holds legal awareness workshops for The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign
25 Dec 2024
ARDD holds legal awareness workshops for The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign

Coinciding with The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign,  the Legal Aid Department at the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) held legal awareness sessions to raise legal awareness among participants of various nationalities (refugees and Jordanians), in several governorates in the Kingdom. 

The legal sessions focused on introducing the participants, especially women and girls, to this global campaign, which begins every year on 25  November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and continues until Human Rights Day on 10  December. The main theme  of  the campaign this year was economic violence against women.

ARDD held its awareness sessions on the campaign through cooperation with a number of official bodies and local and international organizations, as follows: In Amman, ARDD cooperated with the Ministry of Social Development to hold a series of sessions in the Ministry's women's and girls' care homes: Al-Wefaq care home for Families, Amna care home for Hosting and Rehabilitating Women, and Al-Karama care home for the Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking. In Zarqa:  International Medical Corps Jordan, and the House for Education and Care of Girls in Rusaifa. In Irbid: Women's Union/Jerash, Kuluna Al-Urdon Youth Commission, and Princess Basma Center, with the participation in a conference organized by the Step of Hope Association in cooperation with the Women's Committee in the Irbid Governorate Council. In Mafraq: The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), and in Zaatari camp in cooperation with the Noor Al Hussein Foundation. Finally, in Azraq: Azraq Southern Women's Association, Steps of Success Association, and Murajeeb Al-Fuhood Camp (from UAE), in cooperation with Terre des Hommes. 

The sessions focused on several topics, such as violence and electronic fraud against women, economic violence, child marriage, labor law, social security law, unfair dismissal, how to claim labor rights, maternity and child leave, issuance of birth certificates, proof of parentage, marriage and divorce, as well as the definition of terms related to protecting children from violence, how to achieve their best interest, and other topics related to children such as guardianship and custody. 

During the sessions, ARDD’s lawyers provided legal awareness material on these issues, opening the door for discussion and responding to participants' inquiries, as well as providing a set of tips to deal with any indicators facing participants, how and/to whom to report, and methods of protection. One of the most prominent forms of violence that attracted the attention of the participants in addition to economic violence was cyber violence, as the lawyers stressed in this context the importance of staying up to date with the advice issued by the Cybercrime Unit and clarifying the services they offer, as well providing a number of tips to the participants, including: "You should realize that cyber violence is a crime in Jordan and that those who commit it are held accountable before the law. You must report any act of cyber violence. know your legal rights. Talk to a trusted person (e.g. a family member) and ask for help.

The participants stressed the importance of legal awareness related to gender-based violence, related laws, legal response for adults and children, as well as providing information on the procedures of regular  and Sharia courts, or ecclesiastical courts, in addition to the roles of  the Family Protection Department, the Administrative Governor, and Public Security. 

The participants explained that the cases of handing over the beneficiary as soon as she leaves the care home must be reconsidered, as the one who receives her is the abuser themself, and there are many cases in which the victims are subjected to repeated abuse, so it is important to find appropriate ways to protect them, considering that violence against women is not limited to educated or working women, but could happen to any woman regardless of her cultural background, educational level, or social class. 

The participants also stressed the need to educate society about many issues of concern to women, such as inheritance, marriage of minors under the age of 16, as well as  the seizure of ATM cards for female workers by some employers or family members and the importance of holding them accountable and monitoring them, supporting the presence of women in leadership positions, spreading awareness of women's rights in various media, and achieving economic independence for them, pointing out in this context that "the recurrence of violence against women should motivate them to break the silence, report it, and speak up about what is happening to them." 

Finally, ARDD’s lawyers provided advice to the participating women to protect them from all forms of violence, and to emphasize the local laws that protect against it, and the bodies that provide protection services from all forms of violence, whether official or local and international organizations, including ARDD, which provides free legal protection services for all.