Jordan acts on child abuse

Children are being taught that they have rights

By Barbara Plett in Amman

Jordan has been tackling the issue of child abuse. Under the direction of Queen Rania it has opened the first centre for abused children in the Arab world.

This month, Jordan's queen sponsored a conference on the subject, the largest of its kind in the region.

Her activities are drawing the attention of Arab social workers eager to deal with the problem.

In Jordan's traditional and family centred society, the issue is only just starting to be talked about openly.

Feeling special

Jordan's new centre for abused children does its best to make youngsters feel special.

There is a party today for Lana. The eight-year-old girl has not had many in her short life.

It's a new subject that's being talked about now, and people are not so comfortable yet with it; we've come a long way in a short time, I think it will be much more easily spoken about soon

Rajha Nasser, psychologist at the children's centre

Lana's friends say goodbye as she returns to a home where she used to be beaten.

But thanks to the therapy and counselling she and her family received at the centre, her homecoming will be a happy one.

The centre's clinical psychologist, Rajha Nasser, says Jordan's programme against child abuse is a groundbreaking project.

"It's a new subject that's being talked about now, and people are not so comfortable yet with it; we've come a long way in a short time, I think it will be much more easily spoken about soon," Ms Nasser says.

New strategy

At the conference sponsored by Queen Rania, they are talking about the subject openly.

She is using her influence to highlight the sensitive issue. Delegates met to draw up a strategy to combat violence against children in the Arab world.

In a traditional society, religious leaders may be the best advocates of children's rights

Conference organiser Manal al-Sharif says one approach that might work in Jordan's conservative culture is support from religious figures.

"The public listen to religious people; when they say verses from the Koran that says you are not permitted to hit your child or carry out an act of violence against them... so they are convinced by the religious figure speaking about this issue, because religion and tradition are tied together," Ms Sharif says.

Abandoned

The testimony of abuse victims at the conference, such as Fawaz Remah, should help get the message across.

He is a 17-year-old Palestinian who was abandoned by his uncle while living in Saudi Arabia at the age of 13 and forced to fend for himself.

Our society sometimes denies girls proper education, they may have to leave school to get married... But I feel confident because I'm learning how to solve problems in a proper manner

Heba, a participant in the centre's classes

He found some work to survive, but police put him in jail when they discovered he had no papers.

"One of the guards was looking for a fight. I tried to avoid him but he and his friends hit me hard. They dragged me over the pavement, tied my arms and legs, and slashed me with a knife," Fawaz says.

He was eventually deported to Jordan. But he now has no country and no family now.

Traditional society

Families are key in this traditional society, and the refuge for abused children works with many different relatives to try and solve problems of abuse.

The centre carries out home visits to help monitor the situation of children who are believed to be at risk.

I tagged along on one of these visits. Outside a tiny home, two little boys dig eagerly through a box of food in the courtyard, oblivious to the call to prayer from a nearby mosque.

Psychologist Rajha Nasser came to see how they were doing and brought the goodies with her.

The boys were beaten by their father, but with the help they and their parents receive, life is getting better.

"The boys used to fight and repeat their father's bad words. Now they know right from wrong. The people at the centre also helped me and my husband," the boys' mother. Ra'idah, says.

Learning about rights

At a community centre, teenage girls gather to learn about their rights and how to respond to violence.

Some parents also need to learn the difference between abuse and discipline.

Education and prevention are at the heart of the safety programme. It is a broad approach that prepares girls like Heba Mustafa to tackle the social reasons for abuse.

"Our society sometimes denies girls proper education, they may have to leave school to get married or help at home if the economic situation is bad. But I feel confident because I'm learning how to solve problems in a proper manner," Heba says.

Ultimately this is a pioneering attempt to solve problems that have been hidden for a long time and it aims to strengthen both families and the whole of society.