Amman, June 15 (Petra) – The Improving Access to Comprehensive Gender Based Violence Services in Jordan project concluded on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in Jordan’s efforts to strengthen its protection framework.

The initiative was implemented in partnership between the Ministry of Social Development, the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), civil society organizations, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with funding from the European Union.

Minister of Social Development, Wafa Bani Mustafa, emphasized during the closing ceremony that the project's outcomes represent a new phase in advancing public awareness around issues affecting women and children. She underlined the importance of recognizing the risks and impact of violence on families and communities.

Bani Mustafa noted that the project succeeded in enhancing the quality of services through the introduction of the one-stop shop model, which offers integrated psychological, social, health, and legal support in a single location, aligned with international best practices.

She stressed the importance of institutionalizing and scaling up this model, adding that the Ministry and its partners had developed guidelines to improve procedures and upgrade service delivery as part of ongoing efforts to address gender-based violence.

She further called for a unified national response built on data and evidence to effectively prevent, manage, and mitigate cases of violence, highlighting the role of community awareness and resource optimization.

Spanish Ambassador to Jordan, Miguel de Lucas Gonzalez, praised the initiative’s alignment with Jordan’s National Social Protection Strategy 2025–2033, affirming Spain’s support for efforts to combat violence against women and girls and improve protection services.

Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in Jordan, Thibaut Moyer, emphasized the importance of the one-stop shop model in facilitating access to integrated, high-quality services for both women and men. He highlighted its role in empowering institutions to deliver effective legal, psychological, and medical assistance.

UNFPA Representative Himyar Abdulmoghni explained that the project aimed not only to expand service access but also to promote a holistic, survivor-centered response model. He described the one-stop shop approach as a successful multi-sectoral intervention offering coordinated support in a safe and confidential environment.

Secretary-General of the NCFA, Mohammad Miqdadi, described the project as a strategic milestone rather than a short-term intervention. He noted its contribution to building a comprehensive national protection system responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable, including Jordanian and refugee women and girls.

Miqdadi emphasized the importance of addressing the root causes of violence, noting that it is driven by deep-seated psychological, economic, social, and cultural factors, and must be approached through structural reforms and sustained public engagement.

//Petra// AO

15/06/2025 14:41:46