SIGI commends amendments of articles 62 and 98

AMMAN — The Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI) on Sunday commended the amendments of articles 62 and 98 of the Jordanian Penal Code by the Lower House, according to a statement from the advocacy group.

The Lower House on Sunday discussed amending articles of the draft Penal Code 2017 as received in the prime minister’s official letter (19.75) on July 23.

SIGI noted that the council endorsed amending articles 62 and 98, which respectively gave the right to women to decide on her children’s surgeries and medical treatment, and deprived so-called honour killers from lowered sentences.

Some 12 women and six children have been killed during the first half of 2017 in domestic violence, most of which were “honour crimes”, according to SIGI.

The institute expressed hope that the amendments will provide more protection for women and children by deterring penalties against those who commit such crimes.

The House is requested by SIGI and other civil society institutions to totally cancel Article 62, which also deals with parents’ punishment of their children, SIGI stressed. 

However, the House only endorsed replacing a sentence in part (g) of paragraph two of Article 62, related to children surgeries, which reads “the approval of his parents”, instead of the “approval of one of his parents”.