Conference to address violence against women, children

That every woman and child has the right to a life free of violence is the main message an upcoming national conference seeks to drive home, organisers said on Sunday. Workers providing health, social, legal and educational services to women and children will convene on December 18 to review and address challenges hindering progress in the prevention of violence against children and women. The First National Conference on the Prevention of Violence against Children and Women, "Reality and Challenges", will also bring together representatives from several UN organisations, the media and academia. Hani Jahshan, chairman of the conference, told reporters yesterday that the two-day event seeks to deliver a serious message to all segments of society that violence against children and women is unjustifiable and must be prevented at the national level. "The number of recorded cases of violence doesn't reflect the size of the problem in society because it happens behind closed doors. The victims suffer in silence out of their fear of social stigma or revenge," he said during a press conference to announce the event, organised by the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), UNICEF, UNFPA, and the Jordanian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Violence against Children. JRF Director Valentina Qussisiya said the conference will tackle local legislation and strategies related to domestic violence and the responsibility of the health sector in preventing it, in addition to violence in schools and protecting women and children with disabilities. She highlighted that the Jordanian Practitioners Network, which was established in August, will be officially launched during the conference. A UNICEF study on the prevalence of violence against children in the Kingdom last year found that more than half of Jordanian children are physically abused or exposed to some form of aggressive behaviour as a means of discipline. UNICEF Representative in Jordan Dominique Hyde noted that Jordan achieved strides in the prevention of domestic violence, but more efforts are required to protect women and children. "Progress is needed to have children enjoy violence-free schools," she said yesterday, stressing the responsibility of the health sector in ending domestic violence. "Some doctors believe that violence is acceptable while others worry about the repercussions of reporting a domestic violence case… a mindset shift is needed," Hyde stressed.