Initiative comes into being to safeguard rights of divorced women, their children

AMMAN — In light of the high divorce rates in Jordan, an initiative titled “La Todar” (which translates to “do not hurt”) comes forward to preserve the right of single mothers and their children.

According to the Supreme Judge Department a total of 28,703 divorce cases were recorded in 2021. 

The “La Todar” initiative, launched on Tuesday in Amman in the presence of social activists, experts and officials, under the slogan “Together against the societal legal violence on divorced women and their children”, aims to empower single mothers and support them and their children with social, psychological, legal and economic support, the event heard.

 The initiative, in a statement, said it also works on raising community awareness of the importance of joint custody after divorce, changing the stereotype regarding divorced women and their children, sharing the suffering of divorced women and their children to decision makers for the amendment to the Jordanian Personal Status Law.

Initiative Chair Aveen Kurdi said that the idea of the initiative came from the suffering of divorced women, and her personal suffering along with her child.

According to Kurdi, “La Todar” is the first initiative in the Kingdom concerned with divorced women and their children.

 “Through this initiative, we aim to change the stereotype of the divorced woman in society and to stand by her, as she is often the breadwinner for children after divorce. The alimony provided by law is unfair and does not actually cover the expenses of the child,” Kurdi said during her opening remarks.

 Kurdi stressed that society “cannot and should not” ignore children of divorced women in Jordan, as they are a less privileged group and their rights are deficient compared with their peers.

“Children of divorce are not only exposed to bullying by their peers, but they are also more prone to many psychological issues due to being deprived of family stability,” she added.

Kurdi called for upholding the rights of divorced women and their children, especially in the event of the mother getting married after divorce. “When that happens, her children are taken from her by law, even though there is no legitimate objection for the mother to take custody of her children in this case,” she continued.

President of the Society for Protecting Family Violence Victims Reem Abu Hassan demanded the protection of the rights of divorced women and their children.

“Divorced women and their children suffer, as they are subjected to social violence and bullying due to their vulnerability, which is why we need such initiatives,” Abu Hassan said during the event.

Abu Hassan said that divorce rates increased by 12 per cent in 2022 compared with the previous year.

“The spread of this phenomenon is dangerous due to its negative societal effects and what it does to the women and children,” she continued.

Abu Hassan stressed the importance of raising awareness regarding the issues and rights of women and children, in addition to providing humanitarian support to vulnerable groups of women through empowerment.

She also noted that Jordan is on “the right path” to political, economic and social reforms, through working on the draft Children Law which ensures their rights.

“La Todar” will work on providing courses for young people who are about to get married to introduce them to the foundations of marriage and the marital bond, as well as providing courses for mothers on how to raise their children, according to a presentation during the event.