Jordan - Facts on Trafficking and Prostitution

Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation

Jordan

Prostitution

Nasser Qamash, chief editor of Sawt Al Maraa weekly, was taken into custody after he published an article in his newspaper describing the Raghadan Bus Station as becoming a center for "drugs and prostitution." The Press and Publication Department filed a complaint to the public prosecutor. The article was described as inaccurate and tarnished the reputation of public facilities in Jordan. (Jordan Press Association 1997)

Prostitution and homosexuality, which exist in Jordan but to an unknown degree, are illegal and looked down upon. Muslim imams and Islamic clerics describe prostitution and homosexuality as "immoral behavior imported from the decadent West." ("Jordan expels HIV-infected foreigners," United Press International, 8 September 1998)

Organized and Institutionalized Sexual Exploitation and Violence

Honor Killings

Nineteen women were the victims of honor killings in Jordan in 1996. Honor killings are on the rise in Jordan. The number of murders in 1997 exceeded those in 1996. The usual sentence for honor killings is 3 months to one year in jail. ("Dishonor, Then Death," World Press Review, February 1998)

There are several dozen men convicted of honor killings are serving six months or less in prison in Jordan. (Sue Lloyd-Roberts, Electronic Telegraph, 18 April 1998)

Case

Rania Arafat, 21, was shot four times in the back of the head by her 17-year-old brother for refusing an arranged marriage to her cousin and eloping with her boyfriend, and thereby bringing shame on the family. ("Dishonor, Then Death," World Press Review, February 1998)

Protective Custody

40 of the 153 inmates at Amman Women Prison in Jordan are there under protective custody, often for having been raped. They are at risk of being murdered by relatives under the pretext of honor killings. Many of these women have been incarcerated for years. (Rana Husseini journalist, Julian Borger, "In Cold Blood," The Guardian Weekly, 16 November 1997)

Factbook Table of Contents CATW Homepage

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation
Donna M. Hughes, Laura Joy Sporcic, Nadine Z. Mendelsohn and Vanessa Chirgwin