Progress Amid Resistance

JORDAN 195press conferences and meetings with state representatives to voice theirob jections, and by the end of 2008, the government was engaged in a dialoguewith civil society groups on possible changes to the law.Despite the new regulations, the number of registered NGOs stood at3,000 by end of 2008, and women’s rights groups continued to enjoy a fairamount of freedom to pursue their mission. They have called for the eliminationof laws that discriminate against women, and have kept women’srights on the national agenda. Their continued success and ability to wingovernment cooperation will be crucial in ensuring women’s well-beingand equality in practice, which in turn form key components of any planfor sustainable development in Jordan.NONDISCRIMINATION AND ACCESS TO JUSTICEThe Jordanian government has held open dialogues with the women’srights movement over the past five years to discuss amending laws thatdiscriminate against women, including statutes that prevent Jordanianwomen from passing their citizenship to their spouses and children, andlaws that offer leniency to the perpetrators of so-called “honor crimes.”While these laws remain in place, criminal courts have begun to issuestricter sentences for honor killings and a new specialized tribunal for casesinvolving honor crimes was created in 2009. Meanwhile, social normsoften deter women from seeking justice and protection through the legalsystem on the premise that they are disobeying their family. Many womenhave internalized such cultural attitudes and believe that discriminationand abuse are unavoidable parts of their existence.Jordanian laws are derived from the Napoleonic code (inherited fromthe Ottoman and Egyptian legal systems) and Shari‘a (Islamic law), andhave been influenced by tribal traditions. The highest court in Jordanis the Court of Cassation, followed by the Courts of Appeal. The lowercourts are divided into civil courts and religious courts. In the civil courtsystem, the Courts of First Instance have general jurisdiction over criminaland civil cases, and the Magistrate Courts largely handle smaller claims. TheShari‘a Courts have jurisdiction over personal status for Muslims, includingissues related to marriage, divorce, and inheritance; parallel tribunalshandle such matters for non-Muslim minorities. 4 The rulings of religiouscourts can be appealed to the Courts of Appeal. Separately, the semi-militaryState Security Court hears cases on offenses against the state as well as