Amman, Oct. 6 (Petra) – The Italian Association for Women in Development (AIDOS) and the "Vento di Terra" organization, in partnership with the Durrat Almanal for Development and Training and the Arab Women Organization (AWO), launched on Monday the second phase of the project "No Women Behind: Gender-Based Violence and Disability Turning Vulnerability into Ability," at the headquarters of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD).

The 18-month project, funded by Italy, aims to enhance the protection and empowerment of women and girls particularly those with disabilities who are most at risk, survivors, or exposed to gender-based violence in refugee camps and Jordanian host communities, as well as in protection centers in Amman, Mafraq, and Irbid. The initiative seeks to provide an integrated framework of services that include protection, assistance, empowerment, and social inclusion, targeting 5,850 individuals, 90 percent of whom are women.

The project’s second phase includes several components related to providing integrated social and health services that respond to the needs of women with disabilities and survivors or those at risk of gender-based violence. It will also implement economic and social empowerment activities to strengthen women’s independence and self-reliance, build the capacities of civil society organizations and Jordanian government institutions, and enhance community mechanisms for prevention, protection, and inclusion.

The project is implemented in cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Social Development, the Institute for Family Health, Sarah Hospital, Rafeeq Al-Khair Association for Social Services, Al al-Bayt University, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Clara Caldera, a program officer at AIDOS, said that integrating gender-based violence and disability issues presents a complex and ongoing challenge that requires multi-level and intersectional responses. She expressed the association’s pride in contributing to this effort through close collaboration with the Higher Council, Jordanian institutions, and civil society organizations to ensure that women and girls can fully exercise their right to live freely and safely, away from violence.

Alaa Al-Khaldi of Vento di Terra affirmed the organization’s commitment to empowering women, strengthening their self-confidence, and supporting them in building safer, more dignified lives, as well as assisting families, improving their well-being, and fostering hope for a better future.

HCD Secretary-General Muhannad Azzeh praised the distinguished partnership between the council and the Italian Association for Women’s Development, which has addressed challenges related to protection from violence and communication etiquette with victims of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse.

He noted that persons with disabilities are among the most vulnerable to violence, harassment, and sexual exploitation due to physical and environmental barriers that force them to rely on personal assistants rather than tools or methods that support independent living. This dependence, he said, increases their physical contact with others in education, rehabilitation, and treatment settings, heightening their exposure to potential abuse.

Azzeh added that people with disabilities remain largely excluded from protection systems, hotlines, and reporting mechanisms an issue evident during disasters and crises while the absence of well-adapted protection programs further exposes them to violence.

He urged ministries and relevant institutions to allocate sufficient financial resources to provide protection services and rehabilitate victims with disabilities. He noted that, for the first time in Jordan, the project’s second phase will include the development of a practical guide on self-protection from all forms of violence. The guide will outline mechanisms, tools, and methods to help people with disabilities recognize acceptable and unacceptable forms of communication and physical contact, how to respond when boundaries are crossed, and how families can identify signs of abuse especially among persons with intellectual disabilities and extract critical information from them. The guide will also include methods for victims to express and disclose their experiences of violence.

During the project’s first phase, the HCD and AIDOS signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure access to an integrated system of specialized services for women with disabilities who are at risk or survivors of gender-based violence in host communities, refugee camps, and protection centers in Mafraq and Amman.

The project also provided accessibility requirements and reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in accordance with the national building code for persons with disabilities at Dar Al-Wifaq and Dar Amina both affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development. It further delivered technical training support to staff in organizations for persons with disabilities, civil society groups, and protection centers on addressing gender-based violence against persons withdisabilities andd prepared accessible awareness materials on the topic.

//Petra// AF