Italian and Jordanian MPs shares good practices on legislative reforms in the field of Violence Against Women
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The Embassy of Italy to the Hashemite Kingdome of Jordan, in collaboration with UN Women, hosted an expert round table discussion on violence against women - with a special focus on issues of honor killings and stalking – while analyzing the effect of violent extremism on gender-based violence. A representation of Jordanian Members of the Upper house, Lower house, practitioners, and members of the civil society as well as sectoral experts participated in the open dialogue held on 2nd May 2016 with a Delegation composed by Members of the Italian Parliament.
On this occasion, participants shared experiences on the most effective ways to promote legislative reforms to prevent and protect women from gender-based violence, with a specific focus on so-called honor killing and the crime of stalking. The discussion touched on issues of violent extremism and its effects on society as well as on gender-based violence, and ways to eradicate the phenomenon while ensuring effective support to the survivors.
Italian MPs presented the main steps which led Italy to repel the law on honor killings in 1981, highlighting similarities with the Jordanian context. Pivotal in that sense has been the example set by Ms. Franca Viola, an Italian victim of rape, and her family who initiated the process by standing against social practices of honor killing. Since then, Italy has adopted pioneering legislations to prevent violence with the introduction of the law on stalking – meaning the repeated following and harassing of another person, which prevents the person to conduct his/her daily life free from fear of violence and psychological anxiety.
On the other hand, Jordanian MPs and Senators provided an overview on Penal Code’s provisions which provide perpetrators of violence against women – including potential honor crimes - with the possibility to avoid punishment or lighten the punishment under certain mitigating circumstances (specifically, articles 340, 98, 308). Participants addressed recent amendments on art. 308, which introduce a new provision which allows for the pardon of the perpetrator in case of marriage with the victim in the age between 13-18 in case the “relationship was consensual” (unless the marriage dissolves before five years without a legitimate reason).
Dr. Salma Nims, Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women affirmed that “The law encourages the crime. Legislative amendments should be adopted at the policy level, while there is also a need to revise education curricula - starting from the elementary school - in order to reverse cultural aspects related to gender-based violence and the stigma which mark the lives of survivors”.
At the end of the round table discussion, His Excellency Giovanni Brauzzi – Italian Ambassador to Jordan – affirmed: “There is no honor without Karama (Dignity)”, emphasizing how the normative and cultural aspects should be addressed in parallel and complementary ways.