Adding ‘Jordanian women’ to Constitution ‘a step forward but long way to go’ — activists

AMMAN — The women’s movement on Sunday received the new additions to the 2021 draft amendment to the Constitution by the Lower House of Parliament with mixed reactions.

Some women activists and groups said the new additions will work to ensure more equality for women.

While other female activists pointed out that the new amendments were not enough and did not reflect one of their main demands to add the word “sex” in Article 6 of the Constitution.

On Sunday, the MPs added the words “Jordanian women” to the title of the Second Chapter of the Constitution which now reads the “Rights and Duties of Jordanian Men and Women”.

In other words, the change to the Constitution stipulates addressing Jordanian citizens in both the feminine and masculine tenses.

Ninety-four deputies voted in favour, 26 against and 10 did not attend the session, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.

Meanwhile, Article 6 of the Constitution stipulates that Jordanians are equal before the law, regardless of their ethnicity, language or religion.

The women’s movement had demanded to add the word “sex” in the provision, a request that has been constantly ignored by the government, including in its recent amendments to the Constitution.

Jordanian National Commission for Women Secretary General Salma Nims said the amendment is considered “a step forward” in terms of the discourse rather than having any legislative implication.

“The women’s movement demand has historically been to add the term “on the basis of sex” in Article 6,” Nims told The Jordan Times.

“Sadly what the politically-led debate on social media and in Parliament revealed is that there is a deliberate attempt to distort and demonise the Jordanian women movement, whose demands have preceded international agreements by decades,” she added.

Eleven Arab and Muslim countries included clauses with terms such as no discrimination on the basis of sex, according to Nims.

“If 11 Arab Muslim countries can do that without any impact on the structure of the stability of the family why isn’t Jordan able to do the same?” Nims argued.

Meanwhile, Solidarity is Global Institute (SIGI) welcomed the new addition saying that adding the words “Jordanian women” to the title of the Second Chapter of the Constitution will make it more comprehensive and will reflect positively on the rest of the provisions in the Constitution.

Activist and lawyer Nour Emam also welcomed the new edition stressing that it is an important emphasis that Jordanian men and women are equal in front of the law.

“It is also a reassurance of the equal citizenship values among men and women,” Emam wrote on her Facebook page.

Former minister and human rights advocate Reem Abu Hassan said that adding the words “Jordanian women” to the title of the Second Chapter of the Constitution should be read in conjunction with the proposed Paragraph Six of Article Six, which talks about the State’s guarantees to empower women based on equal opportunities, justice and equity as well as protecting women from discrimination and violence.

“There is a need to highlight that the provisions in the articles of the Constitution address women as well as men,” Abu Hassan told The Jordan Times.

Political and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mousa Maaitah said that adding the words “Jordanian women” to the title came “to honour and show respect and appreciation towards women”, without entailing any legal provisions.

He rejected some MPs' claims that Jordan “succumbed to pressures exerted by donor institutions” to pass this amendment.

In late December, the Lower House Legal Committee endorsed the 2021 draft amendments to the Constitution.

Head of the committee MP Abdulmunim Oddat in a press conference said that adding “Jordanian women” to the title of the second chapter on Jordanians’ rights and duties aims at stressing defending the rights of this social class and increasing their effective role in building society and integrating them fully according to the principle of rights, duties, social justice and equal opportunities.

But Nims said “the road is still long” because the main two demands to include the word sex and to ensure are not met.

“The recent discussions at the Lower House of Parliament regarding this matter pointed out that many MPs are not in favour of supporting women’s rights or our causes. This is an alarming sign that entails more work in the near future," Nims added.