Jordan: Campaign seeks to increase women’s awareness about their legal rights

Jordan: Campaign seeks to increase women’s awareness about their legal rights

By Rana Husseini

AMMAN - The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) on Monday launched a campaign to answer around 100 frequently asked questions by women about their legal rights.

The one-year campaign, entitled “Waraqati” (My Paper) seeks to increase women’s awareness about their legal rights, as well as those of their children, in several fields.

It is based on a list of 238 questions prepared by the JNCW on legal issues that was distributed to more than 600 people to gauge which questions the respondents considered the most important.

The Women’s Studies Centre (WSC) at the University of Jordan then analysed the results and distributed its findings in a paper that was distributed to the press on Monday.

“The questions that the men and women surveyed found the most important centred on the labour, retirement, personal status and social security laws,” JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader told reporters yesterday.

She said a special legal team is currently compiling the answers to the 100 questions that were deemed the most important.

The answers will be recorded on CDs and cassettes, then distributed to radio stations, the press and women’s NGOs, as well as posted on the JNCW website.

The question that topped the list, according to the WSC paper, concerned maternity leave and whether it was unpaid or paid.

The second most popular question was how pension is calculated, while the third and fourth focused on who should pay child support and education (in divorce cases).

The questions at the bottom of the list were on who has the right to file a complaint in acts of adultery, whether women can seek divorce if their husbands are mentally disturbed and if there is any insurance coverage for old age, permanent disabilities and death.

During yesterday’s meeting at the JNCW headquarters in Amman, Khader discussed with journalists means of better cooperation with the press and ensuring qualitative press coverage of women’s issues in Jordan.

Headed by HRH Princess Basma, the JNCW is one of the first semi-governmental commissions established in the Arab world to promote women’s issues.

Established by a Cabinet decision in 1992, the JNCW has led a large effort comprising public and private institutions and individuals involved with women’s issues to formulate a national strategy for women in the Kingdom, according to its website.

The commission’s responsibilities broadened in 1996 with a Cabinet decision to entrust it with defining policies and legislation related to women and identifying priorities, plans and programmes in both governmental and nongovernmental sectors in order to carry them out effectively, according to the JNCW.

The organisation, which views itself as the authority on women’s issues and activities for the public sector, represents the Kingdom in all dealings pertaining to women’s affairs at the national, regional and international levels.

Also during yesterday’s meeting with the press, Khader announced that the JNCW has formed a national coalition to follow up on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and will meet regularly to draft a national plan of action.

“We are meeting with different stakeholders to draft a plan and explore Jordan’s achievements in the fields mentioned in the UN resolution,” Khader said.

Adopted in 2000, Resolution 1325 specifically addresses the impact of war on women and women’s contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace.

It calls on parties to take action in the areas of decision making, gender perspectives, training in peacekeeping and the protection of women and girls.

“We are talking about ensuring peace and protection for women in general, which means peace and security for the entire society and not peace between countries only,” Khader said.

During a meeting in December 2007 with women leaders from around the globe, Her Majesty Queen Rania noted that they must bring more awareness to Resolution 1325, while highlighting the role women can play as “able negotiators for solutions”.

---The Jordan Times, July 1, 2008