Princess Basma urges young Jordanians to fight gender-based violence

AMMAN — Gender-based violence leads to widespread social violence, which negatively affects the security and safety of the community, HRH Princess Basma said Tuesday.

Speaking at a ceremony held within the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence”, Princess Basma urged young Jordanians to dedicate themselves to fighting gender-based violence in all its forms, commending the role that the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) plays in this regard, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The USAID Takamol-Gender Programme, in collaboration with JNCW and the Centre for Women’s Studies at the University of Jordan organised Tuesday’s ceremony. 

“Each year, from November 25 to December 10, the world comes together to commemorate 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence — a campaign designed to heighten attention towards gender violence and the injustices that women and girls face,” USAID Mission Director Beth Paige said at the ceremony.

“In Jordan, we are especially excited about the Takamol Gender Project, which is working to empower government, civil society institutions and individual change agents to address challenges facing gender equity, gender mainstreaming and gender empowerment,” a USAID statement quoted Paige as saying.

During the ceremony, Princess Basma inaugurated USAID Takamol’s first photo gallery titled “Faces of Takamol Al Urdon”, which highlights a digital initiative launched by the programme via Facebook on the first day of the 16-day campaign and “will continue during the lifetime of the programme”, the statement said. 

The exhibition showcases 16 stories and photos of Jordanian men and women who are leading efforts to alleviate and fight violence based on gender. It also presents stories of victims of such abuse including domestic violence, administrative detention, early marriage, school bullying and other stories on violence.

During the event, a video on the production of a mural under the campaign was also screened.  

The mural was developed by abused women housed at a shelter who, after three days of psycho-social support, developed drawings and visuals in collaboration with artists to tell their stories, and articulate their challenges and fears, as well as their hopes, dreams and aspirations.  

The mural was developed at Dar Al Wifaq Women’s Shelter which operates under the Ministry of Social Development, according to Takamol.

Students from Yarmouk and Balqa Applied universities engaged in a debate on the impact that Article 308 of the Penal Code has on rape incidents and whether it encourages the perpetrators or works as a deterrent.  

JNCW has highlighted Article 308, which allows the rapist to marry his victim and receive no sentence, as a gross injustice against rape victims

The event concluded with the announcement of the first round of the USAID Takamol Research and Communications Fellows Programme in partnership with the Centre for Women’s Studies and the Jordan Media Institute.  

The fellows will be offered capacity-building training programmes and practise hands-on experience in the areas of gender-based research, communications, social dialogue and advocacy, according to the USAID statement.