Jordan women seek jail 'sanctuary'

King Abdullah (right) is up against entrenched attitudes

Dozens of Jordanian women prisoners have chosen to stay in jail after serving their sentences because they fear for their safety if they return home.

Major Ibtissam Dhmour, a senior female prison official, said 35 women - about one-sixth of Jordan's female prison population - were being kept behind bars to protect them from families angered by their crimes or their sexual behaviour.

"Some women are spending indefinite periods in prison.

"Some are not convicted of any offence and others have served their sentence but can't be released because we fear for their safety," she told the Jordan Times newspaper.

Of those not convicted of crimes, some had been raped, accused of extra-marital affairs or become pregnant out of wedlock.

The BBC correspondent in Amman says that, in Jordan's conservative society, a family's reputation can rest on the sexual behaviour of its women and even being the victim of rape is considered shameful.

'Family honour'

The newspaper said there were even cases of daughters being allowed out of prison on bail, only to be killed to cleanse the family honour.

Jordan 'honour' crimes

About 20 women killed 'for honour' a year

Man walks free if murdered women found having sex

Reduced penalties for killers of other adulterous women

Major Dhmour said some of the women had been jailed for 11 years, but felt unable to go home because they feared their families would still consider them guilty and eventually harm them, or feel ashamed to let them back in.

Human rights activists - with the support of Jordan's royal family - have been campaigning against such attitudes, which lead to about 20 reported murders every year.

Under Jordanian law, a man who kills a female relative walks free if he has "discovered her committing adultery" and receives a reduced penalty if he kills her after finding her in an "adulterous situation".