Campaign seeks to raise awareness on women’s legal rights AMMAN - A new campaign to inform women across the Kingdom of their legal rights was launched by the General Federation of Jordanian Women (GFJW) on Thursday.

 
GFJW President Nuha Maaytah said the National Legal Awareness Campaign will target women in all 12 governorates, mainly in remote and rural areas.

“The campaign will consist of 20 workshops on legislation concerning women and informative sessions on their legal rights as well as the importance of women’s participation in political life,” Maaytah told The Jordan Times yesterday.

She said the GFJW will also distribute several publications containing legal information on women’s rights to relevant NGOs and women during the one-year campaign.

The project is a continuation of past efforts that were initiated by several local women’s organisations in Jordan. Legal awareness is important and should be an ongoing activity to benefit women in all parts of Jordan, the GFJW president noted.

At the campaign’s launching ceremony yesterday, HRH Princess Basma urged women’s rights activists to take advantage of the leadership’s support to further their cause.

“His Majesty King Abdullah has always been a big supporter of women’s advancement in Jordan and this support should make us feel optimistic and should open the doors for us to continue our achievements,” Princess Basma said.

“We are also grateful for the Jordanian government and the Upper and Lower House legislative stance and commitments towards women’s issues in Jordan,” added the Princess, who is the honorary president of the GFJW.

Meanwhile, UNESCO Education Programme Specialist Robert Parua told attendees that political participation is vital for gender equality.

“Until women are represented at leadership and decision-making levels, and until they benefit from equal rights and treatment in all spheres of public life… we cannot claim that women are full and equal citizens,” Parua said, adding that the full participation of women in social, cultural and economic development is vital for social progress.

The GFJW campaign is one of five initiatives chosen out of 65 projects from 27 different countries in line with the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Partnership to further gender equality and promote women’s leadership in all spheres of society.

The partnership is committed to providing fellowships and scholarships to young women, encouraging them to take up and excel in careers such as journalism, medicine, physical education, teaching, training, management and business administration.