Ms. Enam Al-Asha, Legal Advisor and Executive Director of the Sisterhood Is Global Institute – Jordan (SIGI), participated as a keynote speaker in a dialogue session on economic violence against women and girls, organized by the Jordan River Foundation as part of the Young Women’s Committee activities, within the framework of the Refugee and Host Community Economic Self-Reliance Project (RDPP).

During the session, Al-Asha addressed the concept of economic violence against women and girls, explaining that this form of violence is not limited to direct deprivation of money, but may also take the form of controlling a woman’s income, preventing her from working, pressuring her to relinquish her inheritance or property rights, imposing financial obligations on her without her free will, or using money as a means of pressure and control over her decisions.

Al-Asha discussed a number of issues related to women’s economic rights, particularly the right to work and earn an income, property and inheritance rights, alimony, the ability to make financial decisions, as well as loans, guarantees, checks, and financial obligations. She also highlighted the importance of ensuring that women are fully aware of their rights and the legal implications of any financial transaction or obligation before agreeing to it.

The discussion also addressed the gap between women’s legal entitlement to economic rights and their actual ability to exercise those rights, particularly in situations involving economic dependence or family and social pressures, which may restrict women’s ability to make decisions concerning their finances, property, and lives.

Al-Asha further highlighted the importance of women’s awareness of their legal rights, particularly regarding inheritance, property, and financial transactions, and the importance of seeking legal advice when needed, in order to strengthen women’s ability to protect their rights and make informed decisions based on knowledge and free consent.

The session also featured psychologist Dr. Mais Al-Nas’a and Ms. Sawsan Haidar Tafaha, Assistant Executive Director of the Financial Consumer Protection Department at the Central Bank of Jordan. The different contributions addressed the legal, psychological, and financial dimensions of economic violence against women and girls.