By Jihad Abu Falah
Amman
Suzan, 30, benefits from a program offering direct phone advice and guidance to women subject to abuse in Jordan.
The program is supervised by Jordan’s Women Association, which has rang the bell for the alarming rate of domestic violence in the kingdom.
“I was married at the early age of 14 to a man who was 15 years older than I was,” said Suzan.
“I had my plans for a future,” she continued, “I wanted to finish my education, so I tried to say no, but in vain. Days after the wedding I went with my husband to Saudi Arabia where he worked. There he proved he was no better than my father and brothers who used to beat and treat me badly. He did just the same.”
Suzan had children from her husband, but that did not prevent her from asking for a divorce when she had the courage to say enough is enough.
She said she was finally able to gain her freedom after long episodes of conflicts and trouble. She even maintained custody of her children; but this is not the end of the story.
“When my family in Amman knew I was divorced, they beat me up, took my children away from me, and gave them back to their father. After that, they locked me up in an old, unused bathroom.
“I managed to escape once and went to the police station to file a complaint. But my father and brothers came with a report from a famous psychiatrist saying I was mentally ill and not responsible for my behavior. The police could do nothing but to give me back to my family.”
Suzan’s escape from her plight came when she was served a meal in her bathroom cell and laid it on an old newspaper. There she read an announcement about the hot line, and decided to call them. She was able to trick her mother and use the phone to call the social workers.
Suzan now lives in a shelter for abused women, feeling safe maybe for the first time in her life.
Suzan is no exception in Jordanian society, according to studies done by the Jordanian Women’s Federation.
“The hot line program is working on a detailed report on domestic violence, which will sum up all case studies since 1996 up to June 2000,” says Afaf Jaberi, the social worker in charge of the hot line program.
Jaberi already has some shocking figures. The number of women who have had the chance to call the hot line service since its foundation is 4,995 and averages 15 calls per day. Four out of the fifteen prefer to report in person, rather than by phone.
According to Afaf, the abuse of women in Jordanian society falls into three categories: psychological, social and legal. Jaberi said that 27 percent of the cases referred to the hot line program are of a psychological nature, and the same percent of women reporting to the center seek legal advice. The remaining 73 percent are victims of physical violence by husbands.
Women contact the center either by phone, or by attending the center in person. But in some cases, social workers find cases of abuse when they are carrying out field surveys and offer the victim help.
The program has become very popular. At the very beginning, the social worker said the center would advertise in the local newspapers but now, 65 percent of the women who seek the program’s help have come to know of the service through other women who have dealt with the service.
“Other cases are referred to the Hot Line from other institutions such as Family Protection and other social service organizations,” added Jaberi.
Naturally, the valuable service offered to abused women is not an easy task to handle, but there are other reasons to make it more difficult according to the program manager.
“When we do field search, we do not have the legal capacity to reach women and talk to them. We resort to indirect ways to carry out our tasks,” complained Jaberi, herself married and a mother of two.
She also called for more legal guarantees for women who seek help from the service because, if their protection is not secured by the authorities, they may be in danger.
Jordan’s Women Federation was established in 1954 as the first organization concerned with woman and child affairs. Apart from the Hot Line program, the federation has set up a shelter for children and a parliament for children.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
