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Braille Brochure on Family Protection Law in Jordan, for Women with Visual Impairments

16/08/2010

An important and symbolic milestone has been reached for people with visual impairments in Jordan, allowing them to have a better understanding of how the legislation affects their daily lives.

During a workshop in Amman, Jordan, the YWCA of Jordan, in cooperation with the Karama Organisation and the Cultural Forum of the Blind, distributed copies of a brochure entitled “No humiliation, no insults: we want to live in dignity”. This brochure for people with visual impairments outlines the provisions of the Family Protection Law in Braille.

The brochure was drafted by several legal experts and also includes national days for the disabled. It is seen as a step in the right direction. Karama plans to distribute the brochure to all public agencies and civil society organisations in the country.

Amneh Helweh, Karama Organisation representative in Jordan, highlighted that the Kingdom is one of a few Arab countries that has a special law for domestic violence and that the main aim of the organisation is to identify loopholes that prevent women from enjoying their full rights. “Combating violence against women is not a simple endeavour and cannot be accomplished by activating only one sector of society, or working only on one level of advocacy. Karama brings together local experts and activists to unify their efforts in ending the phenomenon by involving women in determining their needs and rights, rather than working on behalf of them”.

“We converted brochures and other printed material that outlined the law’s articles and legal proceedings in the case of domestic violence into Braille to ensure that this segment of society is not left out” added Makhamreh, the coordinator of the project.

Yosra Barakat, a blind participant of the workshop commented, “This is the first time we have felt fully engaged in an initiative that targets all segments of the society. It is very important for the blind to feel that they are involved in everything that is around them”. Barakat, a 26 year old who holds an MA in Arabic literature, explained that she and her peers felt “embarrassed” when attending lectures as they could not read the required materials.

She continued “I used to ask a lot of questions and sometimes I forced people sitting next to me to read the material to me, It is very considerate of them to think about us and present the data in Braille”. Barakat, however, finds some of the articles of the Family Protection Law too “vague”.

Another participant of the workshop, Ramaa Abdul Salam, an Arabic professor at Muta University, who also suffers from visual impairment, said the course succeeded in highlighting several issues that are important to persons with disabilities. He added “We as a people with special needs are not used to being targeted along with the rest of society in any initiative”.

Some 30 participants took part in the two-day workshop in Amman. As a result of feedback received, several recommendations will be made to address apparent loopholes in the Family Protection Law.