Local civil society project encourages men, youth to join in fight for women’s rights

AMMAN — Men and youth should join hands with the women’s movement in advocating for reproductive rights and combatting early marriage and gender-based violence, according to civil society representatives in Jordan.

This topic was the theme of a one-day virtual event, titled “Women and Girls’ Physical Safety, Reproductive Health Rights and Combatting Child Marriage”, which was organised on Tuesday by Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI) as part of the Munira Project. 

“The event’s main goal is to get men and youth in various parts of the Kingdom involved in combatting harmful practices against women and girls in our society by being part of Munira coalitions in their own communities,” SIGI Executive Director Asma Khader said during the event.

Khader stressed that it is “of utmost importance to join hands with young men to ensure that they are part of the mindset change in our society”.

The Munira Project, which is being implemented in Amman, Mafraq and Balqa, aims to eradicate child marriage by lobbying for the abolition of the exception clause in the Personal Status Law.

“We aim to raise awareness by relaying information concerning reproductive health and child marriage via public campaigns and other activities since these rights are among the human rights that all families should enjoy,” said Khader, a former minister.

She added that women should be able to make their own choices in life, including those tied to reproductive rights and when to marry and assume other duties and responsibilities in society.

Lawyer Sawsan Ishaq, who is heading the Munira Project, said one of the main aims of the project is to minimise both the damaging effects of violence on women and girls, and early marriage.

“We will launch several campaigns, trainings and other activities in an attempt to shift the Jordanian society’s stance on such important issues that affect the entire family,” Ishaq added.

The focus, according to the lawyer, will be on teenagers, men, women, marginalised individuals, families, refugees, newly-weds and community leaders. 

Meanwhile, Abdul Ilah Huneiti, representing an organisation in Balqa Governorate — one of 60 that are part of the Munira coalition — said: “Our target is to raise awareness about the dangers of early marriage within our community”. 

“The Munira Project has also helped us to provide guidance for newly-weds on reproductive rights and other important matters related to their new and important step in life,” Huneiti added.

The Munira Project, which will be implemented over a two-year period, will work to empower society by strengthening “important and much-needed” awareness about reproductive health by conducting activities such as trainings, capacity-building for local organisations working in the field of reproductive rights, lectures and cooperation with providers of reproductive health services.

The project also aims to increase respect for women’s bodily integrity by emphasising their right to make independent decisions concerning their bodies, further focusing on a greater partnership between men and women in making decisions regarding marriage, reproductive health and family planning, according to the statement.

The Munira Project is supported by AmplifyChange, a London-based fund that assists civil society organisations that advocate for improved sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The vision of AmplifyChange is to secure universal sexual and reproductive health and rights for all through building a stronger civil society with diverse, resilient organisations that work together to form movements for change, according to the fund’s website.