Law group hails court decision on compensation for domestic abuse victim

AMMAN – The Jordanian legal system took a new direction recently when deciding compensation for a domestic abuse victim, according to a legal expert.

In a judicial precedent, the Southern Amman Magistrates Court ruled that the family of a 22-year-old woman pay her JD3,500 as compensation for subjecting her to "severe" forms of violence, according to MIZAN Law Group, which handled the victim's case.

"The woman suffered 31 injuries across her body caused by her family throwing acid on her, breaking her fingers and cutting parts of her flesh and lips with pliers according to the forensic report," MIZAN Executive Director Eva Abu Halaweh said.

The victim, who was also deprived of water and food for long periods that reached two weeks, was referred to Dar Al Wifaq Osari Home after contacting the Family Protection Department.

The woman was abused because her parents wanted a boy as their first child instead of a girl; also, all her male siblings have disabilities, according to Abu Halaweh.

"The first judge who reviewed the case ruled that the woman was subject to mistreatment and not torture," she told The Jordan Times on Tuesday, adding that MIZAN activists met the victim at Dar Al Wifaq and decided to take her case to court again.

The law group has more than 30 advocates who are trained on how to follow up on domestic abuse cases and utilise Article 17 of the Domestic Violence Law, which stipulates that compensation be granted to victims of abuse according to the financial situation of the two parties involved.

The lawyers also based their arguments on international conventions and agreements Jordan has ratified, including the Convention Against Torture, Abu Halaweh explained.

As a result, Judge Hiba Abu Jamaa ruled that the family of the abused woman pay her compensation for the physical and psychological damage they caused, in addition to the legal fees.

"The decision is the first of its kind in the history of Jordan. Its significance does not emanate from the amount of compensation but its ability to serve as a deterrent against domestic violence," Abu Halawa pointed out.

The law group is currently following up on three domestic abuse cases that could be eligible for compensation, as a well as a fourth lawsuit that involves an 11-year-old boy whose father hit him with a metal pipe, she said.

Established in 1998, MIZAN is a nonprofit organisation that seeks to enhance the protection of human rights and improve laws governing them.