AMMAN — Domestic violence costs the Jordanian economy around JD130 million annually, according to a local policy paper.

 

The policy paper was launched by the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), entitled “Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Economic Empowerment of Survivors of Domestic Violence in Jordan.”

 

The one-day event was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Amman.

 

Survivors bear most of the JD130 million cost through healthcare expenses, loss of income, and reduced productivity.

 

The data also indicated that many women survivors depend financially on the perpetrator, which makes leaving violent situations extremely difficult in the absence of safe and stable income alternatives.

 

The policy paper aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the strong link between domestic violence and economic vulnerability.

 

The document also aims to analyse the challenges hindering the economic empowerment of survivors of violence aged 18 and over and identify the impact of weak economic empowerment on the psychological, social, and economic conditions of survivors of violence.

 

It also provides practical and comprehensive recommendations to policymakers and legislators regarding proposed policies and programs that can be adopted to enhance the economic empowerment of survivors of domestic violence in Jordan.

 

JNCW Secretary General Maha Ali stressed the importance of economic empowerment of female survivors of violence, saying it is “a fundamental pillar for effectively and sustainably rebuilding their lives”.

 

“Economic empowerment can help survivors break the cycle of violence by reducing their dependence on their abusers, positively impacting their lives, the lives of their children and families, and contributing to the development of more stable, equitable, and just societies,” Ali told the gathering.

 

Also addressing the gathering was Secretary General of the National Council for Family Affairs Mohammad Miqdadi, who highlighted the Kingdom’s achievements in terms of developing the social protection and response plan.

 

“Jordan has made tangible progress in developing its protection and response system for gender-based violence, particularly in the areas of case management and service integration,” according to Miqdadi.

 

This, Miqdadi added, has shifted the response from “fragmented interventions to a holistic approach that places the survivor's needs, safety, and dignity at the heart of the intervention”.

 

UNFPA Country Representative Himyar Abdulmoghni said that economic empowerment is a key entry point for breaking the cycle of violence and promoting women's independence and safety.

 

Himyar Abdulmoghni told the gathering that UNFPA is committed to continuing to support national efforts, in partnership with government agencies and civil society organisations, to ensure that survivors are empowered to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence and to participate effectively in development.

 

Founder and Director of the Phenix Centre for Economic and Informatics Studies Ahmad Awad presented the findings of the policy paper.

 

“The paper presents economic empowerment as a key entry point for protecting survivors, strengthening their independence, and preventing the repetition of violence”.

 

“The paper adopts a rights-based and development-oriented approach, emphasising that domestic violence is not a private family issue, but a social and economic problem with direct and indirect costs for the national economy, the social protection system, and sustainable development,” Awad told the gathering.

 

The policy paper, according to Awad, concludes that the weak economic empowerment of survivors results from several interconnected factors.

 

“At the social and psychological level, social norms and stigma often normalise violence and treat it as a private family matter, discouraging women from reporting abuse or seeking support,” Awad said.

 

Survivors also experience serious psychological impacts, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, which reduce their ability to enter or remain in the labour market, Awad added.

 

In addition, caregiving responsibilities, lack of childcare services, and unsafe or costly transportation further limit their economic opportunities, Awad said.

 

Awad said the paper suggests several recommendations, including systematically integrating economic empowerment into national plans for preventing and responding to violence, strengthening institutional coordination between protection and economic empowerment actors, and developing unified national databases for shelters, Awad said.

 

It also calls for expanding financial inclusion, providing accessible and flexible financing mechanisms, and developing inclusive and non-traditional vocational training programs aligned with labour market needs and suitable for different age groups, Awad said.