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AMMAN — Building inclusive societies for people with disabilities requires an action-oriented approach that engages all stakeholders, participants in a round-table discussion said on Tuesday.

During the event, held as part of the EU-funded programme “Inclusive Decisions for Equal and Accountable Society (IDEAS)”, they discussed possibilities and resources to ensure the integration of people with disabilities into society.

The three-year programme, which was launched in 2013, is implemented by the British Council in cooperation with the “I am a Human Society for Rights of People with Disabilities” to enhance the capabilities of civil society organisations’ (CSOs) role in partnering with the government to serve citizens with disabilities.

IDEAS is simultaneously being implemented in Jordan, Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

As part of the project’s activities, participants from countries benefiting from the scheme prepared a framework for decision makers in their respective states to strengthen the ability of governments to recognise and address the needs of people with disabilities.

In addition, they organised workshops and an educational visit to the UK to learn about the best practices of inclusive decision making between the government and representatives of CSOs.

“We have to find the tools that enable us to make society… recognise the potential of individuals with disabilities… the media should tackle disabilities as a type of human diversity,” May Abu Hamdia, deputy director of the British Council, said during the discussion.

Alia Zureikat, the project’s counsellor, highlighted the initiative’s priorities, which include ensuring the involvement of people with disabilities in the decision-making process and eliminating obstacles hindering their full inclusion in society.

“Having a Lower House deputy with disability is an example of what the project aims to achieve,” said Zureikat, who is also director of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities’ communications and international relations department.

Meanwhile, Asia Yaghi, the president of the I am a Human Society, stressed that each country taking part in the scheme will work on its own priorities according to the needs of people with disabilities.

“We can seriously say we are doing very well in Jordan in terms of bridging the gap between the government and citizens with disabilities,” she said, adding that a toolkit will be prepared to train trainers on promoting inclusive decision making for authorities, CSOs and the media.

Participants at the round-table discussion represented the media, civil society and the government and drew up the final framework to take inclusive decisions that recognise the needs of people with disabilities.

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) on Wednesday warned against fake campaigns and advertisements on social networking sites that solicit donations to help Syrian refugees in the Kingdom.

The PSD urged those wishing to provide in-kind or cash assistance for Syrian refugees to send their donations through official entities or licensed local and international NGOs to avoid falling victim to fraud.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the department said two Arabs filed complaints that they were defrauded and deceived by a campaign on a social networking site purporting to collect donations to help needy Syrians in Jordan.

The two Arabs said they transferred $2,000 each.

The PSD said investigation revealed that the creator of the page claimed it belongs to a well-known Arab figure concerned with helping the Syrian refugees and asked people to make money transfers.

The police succeeded in identifying the suspect who created the page, and he confessed to collaborating with two others.

The three suspects, who admitted receiving $4,000 in donations, were arrested and referred to court, the PSD said.

A social media expert explained that there are a “few ways” for users to check whether a page is genuine or not.

“Generally, social media users should not trust any page created online or any ad asking for donations or money, because the majority of them are fake,” the expert, who asked not to be named, told The Jordan Times.

“Legitimate pages are usually classified by Facebook for example as verified pages. So a person who sees a page on Facebook can check near the name if there is a sign saying the page is verified.”

“If that is the case, then the page is authentic and there is no fraud, as Facebook keeps a close eye on all pages,” he noted.

“People should only donate to NGOs or societies that are registered with the Ministry of Social Development and they should deal with well-known entities,” the expert added.

“Even after taking all that into account, it is hard to be 100 per cent sure whether a page is fake or not, so people need to be careful when donating online.”

AMMAN — Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of eight wanted criminals in two security operations in the capital and Aqaba.

Three suspects were arrested in an Amman neighbourhood, while the remaining five were apprehended during a raid in the port city, Public Security Department (PSD) Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

He described the seven suspects, who have previous criminal records, as extremely dangerous.

In the first incident, Sartawi said the Criminal Investigation Department received information about a wanted person who was hiding in a house in an Amman suburb.

“A special force monitored the area and raided the house at dawn on Wednesday.”

The suspects fired at the security personnel but “the special forces managed to contain the situation and arrest the suspects without any major incident,” the police official added.

The suspects were specialised in stealing vehicles and then asking the owner to pay a ransom to get it back, according to a PSD statement.

One of the suspects had 165 criminal records, including attempted murder, aggravated assault and car theft.

Police seized the weapons used by the suspects and a search of the house also yielded a stash of illegal narcotics, Sartawi said.

He added that the second operation involved the arrest of five suspects, who took refuge at a house in Aqaba, 330km south of Amman.

“No one was injured in this operation,” Sartawi said.

One of the suspects had 183 criminal records for theft, forgery and aggravated assault.

The Criminal Court prosecutor issued orders for all the suspects to be detained at correctional facilities pending further investigation.

AMMAN — The Lower House on Wednesday referred the draft amended Jordan Press Association Law to its Legal Committee to provide its recommendations before endorsing the bill.

The decision was made during Wednesday’s Lower House session after MPs engaged in an extensive discussion over the right committee to look into the bill.

Several deputies suggested that it should be sent to the Media and National Guidance Committee rather than the legal panel, but the majority of the 149-strong House voted to refer the bill to the Legal Committee.

Also, on Wednesday, the MPs granted Prime Minster Abdullah Ensour the right to delegate his authorities to other Cabinet members.

The decision falls under draft amendments to the Public Administration Law, which the House endorsed in the same session.

In their discussions of the draft amendments to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Law, MPs rejected a recommendation to allow the commission to open branches in the governorates.

They said there is no need for such amove as most of the alleged corruption cases can be investigated through the ACC’s Amman office.

Acting Lower House speaker Ahmad Safadi adjourned the session after the MPs discussed two articles in the amended ACC Law.