You are here

JRF programme works to promote culture of sound parenting, child safety

By Maram Kayed - Feb 16,2020 - Last updated at Feb 16,2020

The Jordan River Foundation’s Child Safety Programme serves over 100,000 beneficiaries and aims to promote child protection and safety in Jordan, according to the foundation (Photo courtesy of Jordan River Foundation)

AMMAN — Ever since its launch in 1997, the Jordan River Foundation’s  (JRF) Child Safety Programme has been helping children, youth, women and men as part of Her Majesty Queen Rania’s “relentless efforts to place the welfare of children at the forefront of national policy agendas”.

According to a source at the foundation who preferred to remain unnamed, the Child Safety Programme, which serves over 100,000 beneficiaries, aims to promote child protection and safety and enhance positive child-rearing practices by approaching the family as a single unit.

The programme has two functions, the source said, the first of which is intervention, including rehabilitation services for abused children. The second function of the programme, prevention, offers comprehensive services to protect and raise awareness about children’s rights, as well as promote a culture of sound parenting and child safety.

According to Intervention Services Manager at the JRF Iman Alaqrabawi, the two areas of operation are “closely intertwined”.

The intervention function of the programme usually starts with abused children or their mothers reporting a case to the foundation, she said, adding that 90 to 95 per cent of cases are vulnerable walk-ins from the local community. 

The programme’s prevention services, however, usually involve willing participants who want to benefit from the foundation’s awareness-raising lectures and campaigns so they can later become awareness advocates within their communities.

Some children and women who benefit from prevention services later admit that they, too, are victims of abuse, Alaqrabawi noted.

The manager told The Jordan Times in a phone interview that many intervention cases involving abused children are then referred to prevention services that place them in a healthy environment with their peers, offer psychological help and familiarise them with their rights along the way.

“In intervention cases, a case manager evaluates which authority should be contacted to handle the case. The concerned authority could be the Family Protection Department if physical or mental abuse is involved, the Ministry of Education if the case has to do with a child’s right to education or the UNHCR if the family is a refugee one,” said Alaqrabawi.

“The case manager then follows up with the concerned authority until the case is closed,” she added.

In 2019, around 7,000 children aged up to 17, 500 youths aged 18 to 24, 11,000 women and 558 men have benefitted from the programme, according to data from the foundation.

One of the Foundation’s “key achievements” through the programme was the establishment of a 110 helpline with over-the-phone counselling and referrals to concerned authorities as necessary.

“Sometimes a case is too urgent to be delayed until the person looking for help can reach our different locations. So I think the hotline has certainly made our services available to a wider segment,” said Alaqrabawi.

The source from the foundation added: “The foundation as a whole works closely with governmental and non-governmental entities to enforce child protection laws as part of Jordan’s commitment to the Human Rights Treaty. This all-encompassing approach is the result of a solid record of accomplishments in the field of child and family safety.”

Initially working through two main offices in Amman and Aqaba, case management is now offered in all governorates through partnerships with local civil society organisations, Alaqrabawi concluded.

up
57 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF