Family-perpetrated homicides increased 94% in 2022 — SIGI

AMMAN — Household homicides increased by 94 per cent between 2021 and 2022, rising from 18 crimes in 2021 to 35 in 2022, the Sisterhood is Global (SIGI) organisation said on Tuesday.

SIGI, citing statements from the Public Security Directorate (PSD) and news organisations, said that these are “the highest” rates seen in years, adding that there were 25 crimes within families that claimed the lives of 35 victims, according to a SIGI statement.

The first half of 2022 witnessed six family-based crimes. In January, a man in his 20s killed his sister in Karak with a sharp tool, while March witnessed a homicide perpetrated by a man in his 30s who strangled his sister to death in Madaba.

Also in March, a woman in her 70s was killed by a relative during a theft, while in May, a man in his 70s killed his granddaughter and injured his daughter with a pump action shotgun in Balqa, SIGI reported.

As for the second half of 2022, July saw four crimes that claimed seven lives, including a father who beat two of his daughters to death and buried them near his home in Irbid.

Also in July, a man in his 70s shot two of his sons due to financial disputes in Ajloun, while a third homicide in Balqa involved a man who killed his brother during an argument.

In December, a young woman shot several of her family members with a pump action shotgun, killing three family members and injuring two.

Twenty-five women and children were the victims of domestic homicides, and the majority of perpetrators were immediate family members, such as a husband or brother, SIGI said.

Six of the crimes were perpetrated by individuals outside of the family directly against women and young girls, according to SIGI. The organisation stressed that women do not only suffer from domestic violence that results in homicide, but are also subject to various types of violence outside of the family.