Panel Discussion at JMI on Importance of Reducing Violence Against Children

22 Dec. 2017&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Amman- The Jordan Media Institute (JMI), in collaboration with UNICEF, organized a panel discussion titled &quot;How Can A Multi-Sectoral Plan Contribute Toward Reducing Violence Against Children?&quot; The panel discussed the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of violence. This is within the project &quot;Makani,&quot; which aims at building the capacities of journalists in the field of children rights and protection.<br /> <br /> Senator Dr. Sawsan Majali, former secretary general of the Higher Population Council and member of the National Team for Family Protection against Violence, spoke at the outset about the importance of developing a plan to support local and civil society organizations in all areas to carry out their role in raising awareness of the dangers of violence. She pointed out that the state cannot combat violence on its own without the help of all parties in society. She said: &quot;How can the Ministry of Social Development handle around 15,000 files on violence through 59 social workers only?&quot;<br /> Majali added that local and civil society organizations play an important role in raising awareness of issues of violence and changing the culture of society in order not to accept violence and help in handling children and creating good citizens who can assume their responsibilities.<br /> <br /> Judge Luay Obaidat said that the question of violence is very tricky and that it is difficult to analyze it and identify solutions in one session. Violence is not a solution; abuse creates parallel abuse. He indicated that &quot;the judiciary does not deal with the letter of the law only, but also with its spirit. The judiciary and specialized people have to be consulted when drafting legislation, including legislation on women and children.&quot;<br /> <br /> Judge Obaidat added that the state needs to revisit its policies because the main pillar of legislation is not only the law, but also &quot;raising the awareness of society about defects. There are ethical and moral commitments that lawmakers and judges take into consideration to create comprehensive awareness among all segments of society.&quot;<br /> <br /> Hakam Matalkah, director of the Directorate of Family Affairs in the National Council for Family Affairs, spoke about national policies and mechanisms in dealing with domestic violence. He noted the implementation of a national program for documenting cases of violence, most important of which is a system for automating information, through which the council is seeking to connect all relevant institutions, whether they are governmental or nongovernmental, to come up with accurate statistics about violence and have a figure that can be used in the face of violence and its dangers. &nbsp;<br /> <br /> On the rise in the cases of violence throughout the Kingdom, Matalkah said that one of the reasons is reporting and documenting these cases and breaking the barrier of silence in dealing with them. This has led to an increase in recording these cases with the relevant institutions.<br /> <br /> The panel discussion is the second to be held by the JMI, in collaboration with UNICEF, within the project &quot;Makani.&quot; The JMI has also created a link to &quot;Makani&quot; on the website of the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED), which contains references and sources that journalists and students need when covering children rights and protection, according to project director Tareq Bakri.&nbsp;