SIGI calls for national observatory after deadly week for women

AMMAN — The Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI) on Wednesday called for a national observatory to be formed to combat so-called honour crimes, after a deadly week in which five women were killed. 

Family honour was the alleged motive in the killings of five women and one man in four incidents across Jordan during one week in October. 

In a statement, SIGI called for a deep analysis of each and every case that claimed the lives of women for reasons related to family honour, “because there is no real explanation as to why there was this number of homicides in one week and there is no quick solution to end this problem”. 

“We call for establishing a national observatory that also includes SIGI, the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), the National Council for Family Affairs, as well as other relevant entities such as the ministries of justice and social affairs, the Public Security Department and the National Institute of Forensic Medicine,” SIGI said.

The national observatory will work to draft strategies, collect data on these murders and analyse it, and follow up on court verdicts, according to SIGI.

The institute also called for establishing shelters for women whose lives are in danger for reasons related to family honour and to beef up police stations with female officers to deal with cases of domestic violence, in addition to the existing Family Protection Departments that are spread in various governorates.

SIGI also called for amending all the laws that offer leniency to perpetrators of so-called honour murders to “ensure justice for the victim and to work as a deterrent”.

On average, between 12 and 15 women are killed annually in Jordan in the name of family honour.

Meanwhile, the JNCW also announced plans to address the problem of so-called honour murders in the Kingdom.

“We have noticed a sudden increase in reported cases of so-called honour crimes in Jordan and this issue needs to be urgently addressed,” JNCW Secretary General Salma Nims said during a meeting with experts on Tuesday.

“This year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign will be dedicated to addressing the problem of so-called honour murders and providing solutions to minimise the effects of gender-based violence,” Nims added.