AMMAN —
Preliminary complaints of
domestic violence lodged with a police office have
been on the rise in the past months, although the number of actual cases, which
include crimes and misdemeanors, which end up in court remain at the same
level, officials said.
اضافة اعلان
The complaints are
usually filed with the Family and Juvenile Protection Department, which is
affiliated with the
Public Security Directorate (PSD).
The department
said that some people complain of domestic violence, but never complete the
complaint so that a potential case of domestic violence would be probed.
PSD spokesperson
Amer Al-Sartawi insisted there was “no noticeable” increase in the cases of
domestic violence in the Kingdom. He told
Jordan News that the Family
and Juvenile Protection Department works according to a special plan, tackling
each case it receives.
Mohammad
Al-Miqdadi, secretary-general of the
National Council for Family Affairs which
closely works with the Family and Juvenile Protection Department, said that the
number of complaints lodged with that department reached 11,000 in 2020.
He said the number
jumped to nearly 16,000 in 2021. He said there were no figures available for
this year.
“In principle,
there is an increase in the numbers of complaints, which are either reviewed or
reported,” he told
Jordan News. He said the complaints do not necessarily mean
“crimes or misdemeanors” have been verified or were actually committed.
“There are many
cases that are followed up by the department and are not sent to court,” he
said, explaining that the cases sent to the judiciary depend on the extent of
the harm inflicted by an individual towards another.
“I understand that
some are saying there is no increase in the number of cases that may be
considered crimes, or misdemeanors that require referral to the judiciary,” he
pointed out.
Sociologist Maha
Al-Ali said it was not possible to “determine whether there was an increase in
cases of domestic violence or not, but the most important thing is to address
the problem, even if there was only one case.”
“The impact of domestic
violence is significant, ... as it touches all segments of society, and its
consequences affect children and adults alike,” she added.
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