Initiative launched to raise awareness against domestic violence

AMMAN — "Raise Your Hands against Violence" initiative was launched on Tuesday, with the hopes of adding a "much-needed momentum" to efforts to combat violence in the southern governorates.

Organised by the Covenant and Loyalty Charitable Society, the initiative was launched by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) with the aim of raising social awareness of the implications of domestic and school violence.

"The initiative is part of the council's efforts to cooperate with civil society organisations to increase awareness on one of the major phenomena that Jordanian society suffers from," said NCFA Secretary General Fadel Hmoud.

He noted that the council serves as an umbrella to coordinate efforts to combat domestic violence, citing the National Family Protection against Violence Team.

"While Jordan is considered one of the leading countries in terms of family protection, achieving many milestones at the legislative level and in terms of policymaking and services, new and strange forms of violence have emerged," said Hmoud.

He underlined the need to study the reasons behind the phenomenon and ways to address them.

Covenant and Loyalty Society President Ahmad Abu Failat highlighted the charity's efforts to break the cycle of violence through awareness.

Under the newly-launched initiative, experts and sociologists will carry out awareness campaigns, training programmes and lectures that target schools, universities and other venues that bring together grassroots from all walks of life.

A civil society organisation chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania, NCFA supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions, which are involved and influential in the field of family affairs.

It has established partnerships with national governmental and non-governmental organisations, and international organisations.

In March, Her Majesty Queen Rania said that institutions in charge of protecting children must be held accountable when they fail to do so.

At a meeting with members of the NCFA's National Framework for Family Protection Committee, the Queen said child deaths as a result of domestic violence are unacceptable.

Alarmed by the killing of six children at the hands of their parents last year alone, Her Majesty added that what was more disturbing was the fact that some of them had been identified as victims of domestic violence by various government institutions.