Women possess an inalienable right to experience love and happiness in their relationships. The gap that exists between the textbook knowledge learned in universities and the skill-sets that are actually needed in the marketplace, along with the fact that we reside in a shame culture, explains the existence of high unemployment rates among women and widespread inequality in pay between men and women in our society. The economic disempowerment of the Arab woman has historically played a significant part in her acceptance of violence within her home.
Sexual and Gender-based violence (SGBV) remains a private and sensitive issue for survivors and their families in Jordan. 24 per cent of Jordanian women aged between 15 and 49 years, experience physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. Only four in ten women (41 per cent) who have ever experienced any form of physical or sexual violence have sought help from any source. In addition, 13 per cent of women did not seek help but told someone about their experience. The remaining 47 percent of women did not either seek help or informed anyone about the abuse.
- See more at: http://jordan.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/8/violence-against-women#sthash.CphK4GbH.dpuf
The Arab Center for Consulting and Training Services (ACCTS-AWT) through its Awareness Program seeks to renew mindsets and create awareness on gender equality and violence issues. Women are encouraged to…
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Break the silence in regard to violence through both peaceful means and the use of professional organizations
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Start training their kids to be aware of sexual boundaries
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Benefit from the mistakes of other women
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Consider acquiring their own source of income and to discuss with their husbands beforehand their basic need for greater personal resources
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Seek a more balanced healthy life in their roles, self-care and lifestyle
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Examine values and experience life-changing truths
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Request private, on-site consultation to women who need it
In ACCTS’ Self-defense and Violence Awareness Program, we teach women that violence in general is an offensive or compulsive behavior against others accompanied with emotions of explosion and tension.
Violence can include: Physical abuse, Sexual abuse, Psychological abuse, Economic exploitation, and Verbal abuse.
The victim is the definition which describes the person who is exposed to these practices.
“Thank you for the eye opening workshop. After attending it, I found out that I am emotionally, physically and economically abused by my family, I live in a prison. Please come always.”
Besides, this Self-defense and Violence Awareness Program provides lectures on: Women and violence, Assault, Detecting Danger, and Avoiding assault.
“Thank you for coming and for your efforts to share with us your experience about such important topics that benefited our lives a lot. Come back with new things and ideas.”
ACCTS has made partnership with the Women Police Station which has always been ready to move with us no matter the distance. The workshops we hold provide practical techniques in a special session for young girls on procedures to protect themselves from any threatening situations and all kinds of abuse.
“I have a strong personality. If anybody tries to harass me in the street I will yell, shout and rebuke him, this is why I lost my friends who accused me of bad behavior, but now I know that I shouldn’t count on that opinion.”
Through other Violence & Gender Equity workshops, a holistic picture of the concept of violence within the family and the community is given to include how it is impacted by local laws. Financial Violence and little-known facts based on women’s rights in the Jordanian law are discussed. Women are trained on how to develop a personal financial strategy in order to gain influence in decision-making.
Only 20% of public sector and 17% of private sector workforces are women; only 5% of women own their own businesses; and only 8% of women own property due to inequitable, Islamic inheritance laws.
For more feedback stories from our different awareness Program workshops, please visit the following link: Impact- Stories- Women- Women Empowerment- Raising Awareness.
