SIGI condemns alleged bullying of activist with disability

AMMAN — Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI) on Sunday condemned the alleged bullying of a woman with visual impairment, who announced her intention to run for the next parliamentary elections.  

SIGI, in a statement cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, considered the alleged offence on social media a “double insult” for social activist Rawan Barakat.

“On one hand, it is bullying a woman who wants to exercise her right to run for elections, while on the other, it is an offence as she is a visually impaired individual entitled to live in an inclusive environment, open to all segments of society,” SIGI said.

Expressing solidarity with Barakat, SIGI highlighted the efforts of the activist towards supporting blind children, including defending their rights to live in an environment free of violence and bullying.

SIGIhighlighted the activist’s contributions through Raneen Foundation, which opened more than 150 audio libraries in the Kingdom's schools, offering training to more than 600 teachers, noting that the foundation had won several national and international awards.

His Majesty King Abdullah bestowed the Al Hussein Medal for Excellence of the Second Class in 2015 upon Barakat, according to the statement.

The statement added that 304,000 Jordanian women are experiencing difficulties of body functions, including 17,000, who suffer from severe difficulties, which constitute 46.6 per cent of a total of 651,000 individuals with difficulties of body functions in the Kingdom.