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NGOs, think tank discuss refugees’ rights in Jordan

By Alexander Werman - Nov 29,2018 - Last updated at Nov 29,2018

AMMAN — Seeking to broaden awareness and gather support for local NGOs working on refugee issues, the French Institute in Jordan on Sunday held a roundtable event on “psychological, economic and legal support to families affected by wars”.

This event was followed by an international workshop called “War and families’ transformation in the Middle East” which was held at the Institut Français du Proche-Orient (IFPO). 

Valentina Napolitano, of IFPO, began the conversation by discussing the pressing needs of refugees, specifically Syrians, and noting that the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and Collateral Repair Project have been at the forefront of providing services for them. 

“Justice is not just telling someone that they have the ability to go file a court case, you need to make sure that they are in safe mental health position in order to feel secure and then to understand their rights and obligations,” Souzan Sami, co-founder of ARDD said. 

She added that economic, psychological and legal support are deeply intertwined necessities. 

Another issue service providers need to overcome is that “in each crisis there are people that create rumours and chaos in order to create profits. You need to defeat that by reaching out to people, and providing the correct information”, the expert continued. 

When asked what ARDD does to combat discrimination by government officials, she stated that “prevention through awareness and understanding of their rights is a key tool. There is also a lot of training for officials... for the judges, the civil servants and the police. For the beneficiary that encountered unjust treatment or action; they must know their rights and obligations, they must know that they can file a lawsuit or that there is someone they can tell”.  

“Due to efforts and joint advocacy, the rates of deportation are decreasing and last month there were only three cases of people deported out of Jordan for security reasons,” said Sami. 

Actionable information on how to provide for refugees has taken on a greater importance over the last few years as refugee numbers, from Syria alone, have swelled to over 673,000 and the NGO community has played a major role in that service provision. 

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