USAID Takamol Annual Progress Report

The program aims to promote gender equality in the justice, political, education, and labor sectors. The program's geographic coverage spans all governorates in Jordan, and its reporting period covers the sixth USAID fiscal year, from October 2019 to September 2020. During this period, USAID Takamol and its partners worked together to address various gender equality issues. One key achievement was the development of implementation procedures for settling domestic abuse cases outside of court. A mapping study identified gaps in the implementation of the Protection Against Domestic Violence (PADV) Law, and Arab Women's Legal Network (AWLN) worked with four government entities to develop guidelines for training Family Protection Department and judges on how to mediate domestic abuse misdemeanors outside of court. Another significant achievement was the creation of a GBV terminology manual to improve the implementation of anti-trafficking and sexual harassment cases within Jordan's courts. USAID Takamol developed the manual in partnership with the USAID Rule of Law Program and Judicial Council judges, which explains GBV-related terms used in national legislation drawn from international treaties and jurisprudence. In the political sector, USAID Takamol strengthened the role of the Women's Department in the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs (MoPPA). A gender-sensitive communications plan was developed in partnership with USAID Takamol and RASED, which included recommendations to increase the frequency of women staff and experts within MoPPA's communications teams and targeted messaging to support women's political participation. Additionally, USAID Takamol trained a total of 51 MoPPA staff on introductory concepts of gender, ways to improve data collection and reporting to international mechanisms related to gender, strategic-planning, and gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation. Al Hayat Consultancy for Development (RASED) also improved methods for monitoring gender in the November 2020 Parliamentary elections based on lessons learned from the 2016 elections. A study on gender bias in media coverage of male and female politicians revealed greater scrutiny of women in politics. The Center for Defending the Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) developed a study on the "Image of Jordanian Women's Political Participation in Media" that examines differences in reporting on male and female politicians. The study found that women politicians faced more scrutiny and negative coverage in the media compared to their male counterparts. Overall, the USAID Takamol Gender Program has made significant progress in promoting gender equality in Jordan, particularly in the justice, political, and education sectors. The program's achievements demonstrate its commitment to addressing the complex challenges facing women in Jordan and promoting their empowerment and participation in all aspects of society.