SHARE-NET JORDAN Online Knowledge Node for Sexual and Reproductive Health Researches

Transcription

1 SHARE-NET JORDAN Online Knowledge Node for Sexual and Reproductive Health Researches Quarterly Publication Issue no

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3 Introduction : To keep researchers, decision makers, policy makers, program developers, service providers and research entities updated on local and international developments in the field of reproductive health, the Higher Population Council is pleased to present issue no.9 of the Share-Net Jordan quarterly bulletin for the third quarter of 2018 with funding support from Share-Net International. This publication covers the main achievements made during the third quarter of 2018 with respect to completed and in-progress sexual and reproductive health studies and research as well workshops on this topic. One: Studies and research carried out in the third quarter of 2018 : The National Action Plan for Reducing Child Marriage. During the HPC board of trustees meeting held on July 22, 2018, the national action plan for implementing the recommendations of the study on child marriage was approved and is set to be submitted to the Council of Ministers in order to be disseminated to all stakeholders responsible for following up on implementation. The plan was accompanied by a recommendation for devel- oping a national strategy for combating child marriage. A training of trainers program has been prepared to be offered to staff from Civil Society Institutions in October to become trainers in this topic. Position paper on abortion in Jordan Following the roundtable meeting held in Jordan on April 29, 2018 and the subsequent meetings attended by 26 experts representing concerned government, civil society and international organizations, a position paper on abortion in Jordan was drafted demonstrating the position of Jordan with respect to abortion. The paper explains the grounds upon which the position is based including religious opinions (fatwas) and resolutions of the Jordanian Iftaa Board of the General Iftaa Department, which is identified by law as the central agency responsible for issuing fatwa on public matters. The fatwas concerning abortion can be summaries as follows: Abortion is prohibited and criminalized by Law and once the fetus is implanted to the uterus it may not be removed regardless of how old it was, as a respectful human being is being created. A person who causes an abortion is considered to have committed a sin. Abortion may be performed, upon the approval of the spouses, before a fetus has 1

4 completed 120 days of implantation to the uterus if it is confirmed that it suffers from incurable defects that will prevent it from living a stable life after birth. Otherwise, if the fetus completes four months in the uterus of the expecting mother, an abortion may not be performed however defective the fetus was if doctors decide that it was viable to live, unless the continuation of the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. Abortion of a pregnancy that resulted from adultery is not allowed as it constitutes an unfair punishment of the innocent fetus, and leaves the guilty unpunished. The Jordanian Iftaa Board handles the abortion of pregnancies resulting from incest on a case-by-case basis and issues fatwa to serve the common good and prevent the spread of indecencies after having taken all the circum stances of the case into consideration, Accordingly, abortion is allowed in Jordan only if it was natural, spontaneous abortion or legal induced (medical) abortion performed for medical reasons such as the removal of a dead fetus from the whom of the mother, or saving the life of the mother if the continuation of the pregnancy would lead to complications for the mother, or congenital defects that will render the fetus unviable to live (will require a religious fatwa). In the majority of cases, abortion is safe because it is performed in general hospitals under the supervision of a medical committee that determines that the health of the mother calls for the operation. On the other hand, induced, illegal abortion which is typically performed upon the request of the mother for no medical reasons is criminalized and prohibited in Jordan. The position paper talked about the prevalence of abortion in Jordan and the legal and religious framework for dealing with abortion, the policies that address unsafe abortion and policy rationale and recommendations for reducing unsafe abortion in Jordan. Position paper on the rights of persons with disability to reproductive services and sex education This position paper was developed based on the outcomes of the roundtable meeting which was held on March 29, 2018 and the subsequent meetings held to discuss the rights of persons with disabilities to reproductive health services and sex education. The meetings were organized by the Share Net Jordan/Higher Population Council in cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and attended by 32 experts representing relevant government, civil society and international organizations. The position paper is guided by the vision of His Majesty the King for a society where persons 2

5 with disability enjoy a decent and sustainable life that guarantees their effective participation based on equity and equality. The National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities ( ) facilitated the transition from a care-based approach to a rights-based approach with the issuance of the Persons with Disabilities Law No. 31 of 2007 and the establishment of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities pursuant to article 6 of the law to serve as the national agency in charge of supporting and advocating for disabled persons and their interests, formulating policies and plans, and coordinating with all concerned stakeholders. The position paper highlighted the firm belief that disabled persons should be integrated into society and enjoy sexual and reproductive rights based on two principles: the right to accessible reproductive services, and the right to have control over reproductive health and make informed decisions. The demographic dividend cannot be achieved unless human rights, sexual and reproductive rights, the right to a decent life and the right to decent work are guaranteed for all. The paper overviewed the Current siteuation of reproductive health programs for persons with disabilities, the main achievements, international agreements and decisions which Jordan has endorsed, and the procedural recommendations for ensuring the sexual and reproductive health rights of all persons with disabilities. Research project to develop a national action plan for integrating the concepts of sexual and reproductive health in the Jordanian curricula based on a deliberative dialogue approach Share-Net International has awarded 10 thousand euro grant to fund a research project proposed by the University of Jordan to develop a national actional plan for integrating sexual and reproductive health concepts in Jordanian curricula. The implementation of the project will be managed by the University of Jordan- the Nursing College, in partnership with the Higher Population Council. The project aims to open dialogue with national agencies and education experts in Jordan to develop a realistic action plan for integrating sexual and reproductive health concepts in academic curricula in line with our culture and based on the identified priorities. This research will support the updating of the national strategy for sexual and reproductive health, since integrating these topics and concepts in Jordanian curricula is a key pillar of the strategy. The 8th issue of the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health Research was issued highlighting the Jordan Share-Net achievements for the second quarter of

6 Studies and research uploaded to the Share- Net online platform for sexual and reproductive health research The following Seven Studies were uploaded to the platform: Jordanian pregnant women s expectations of their first childbirth experience. Jordanian Women s Personal Practices Regarding Prevention and Early Detection of Breast Cancer. Coping with labor pain. Perception of HIV/AIDS Education at the Community Level in Jordan. Perceptions of barriers to paternal presence and contribution during childbirth: an exploratory study from Syria. Traumatic Childbirth: Incidence, Risk Factors, and its Impact on Mothers and and their infants a Scoping Review. Population and Family Health Survey The Higher Population Council, with support from UNFPA, held a training workshop on June 25, 2018 to discuss national service standards for sexual and reproductive health for youth. Attended by concerned national stakeholders, the event gave participants the chance to review and discuss the national standards before adopting them. The standards include criteria for working with youth, service delivery procedures and ethics, youth and community-based committees and human resources. HPC Secretary General, Maysoon Al Zoubi, indicated at the workshop that one of the key requirements of the demographic dividend is the optimal investment in human resources, especially youth, by raising their health awareness, providing them with the necessary sexual and reproductive health services and reinforcing healthy behaviors among them. This requires developing a youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services system that fits the local culture and meets the health, psychological and social needs of youth in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Two: local and international Meetings, seminars and workshops Held or attended Workshop on the national sexual and reproductive health service standards 4

7 Al Zoubi indicated that HPC pays special attention to youth in line with the vision of His Majesty the King for investing in the intellectual, creative and productive potentials of youth since they are the hope of the future. Al Zoubi also stressed the need for collaboration of efforts between national entities in all fields to protect youth and raise their awareness of the surrounding challenges, thereby building an aware and Embassy of the Netherlands in Amman and Share-Net Jordan. The meeting was attended by the HPC Secretary General and chairman of the Share-Net Jordan, Mr. Ali Al Metleq Coordinater of the Project from HPC, and Dr. Ibrahim Aqel the director of the Family Health Institute and member of the Share-Net steering committee. The meeting is a follow up of a meeting previously held at the Dutch embassy in February loyal generation. Meeting with the Dutch Youth Ambassador A meeting was held with Dutch Youth Ambassador for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Ms. Melodi Tamarzians and Ms. Roos van Kreijof the Netherlands-based Chance Foundation. The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of HPC and Chairman of the Sher Net Steering Committee, Mr. Ali Al-Mutlaq Share-Net Project Coordinator on July 3, The meeting overviewed the achievements of the Share-Net project in the past years, especially with regard to youth, in addition to the achievements of HPC with regard to youth. Moreover, Share-Net project coordinator arranged for meetings for the ambassador with some relevant bodies. Meeting with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Amman On August 13, 2018, a meeting was held between Maartje Peters and Rawan Da as, from the between members of the Share-Net project and the embassy in Amman and attended by Dr. Ibrahim Aqel. The meeting discussed cooperation between the project and the embassy and overviewed the activities and plans of the project and HPC. During the meeting too, the embassy shared with HPC its plans and programs and areas of potential cooperation between the two sides. Meeting of donors and key stakeholders of the child marriage in Jordan Plan Share-Net Jordan / HPC held meeting with donors in Jordan to share the action plan 5

8 for reducing child marriage in Jordan and the executive program for the years ( ) to explore funding opportunities for the different activities contained in the plan. Canada in order to benefit from the experience of the Share Net Jordan/ Higher Population Council in the field of reproductive health of adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan. Mr. Ali Al-Metleq, Director of Studies and Policy at the Higher Population Council and Coordinator of the Share Net Jordan, hosted the two Adele Hegel and Malag Douglas in the Council and discussed the role of the Council in the policies, research and regulations adopted by the Higher Population Council, Share Net Jordan. Share-Net Jordan steering committee meeting Members of the steering committee of the Jordan Share-Net project held a meeting on August 16, 2018 to review the achievements of the project in 2017 and the first six months of 2018 as well as the future topics on sexual and reproductive health which could be included in the 2019 plan. New members were planned to be added to the committee and letters were sent to the embassy of the Netherlands, UNFPA, Unicef and UNHCR to nominate representatives to sit on the committee. Meeting with a research team on the ethics of research in the reproductive health of adolescent Syrian refugees in Jordan. On Thursday, , a working group was held to discuss a research project supported by the International Development Research Center / Mr. Ali Al Metleq presented his expertise in this field in order to enhance the role of the Council and the project in supporting research and related works, and provided them with studies and annual reports on the same subject. Ms. Adele Hageel received a research award from the Center for the purpose of examining the ethical considerations adopted by individuals and individuals engaged in reproductive health work for this community group in Jordan in order to fill any gaps in the literature on adolescent reproductive health (ARH) and ethics, And Syrian refugee girls, and make recommendations on the ethical 6

9 aspects of future research and programs on this sensitive population. Share-Net Jordan represented by HPC Secretary General, the chairman of the Share-Net Jordan steering committee the director of studies and policies and coordinator of the Share-Net Jordan the Director of the Family Health Institute and member of the Share-Net steering committee participated in an the knowledge Fair and knowledge Fair and learning session 3 of the collaborative approach held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 9 to 13, Three: Latest population-related reports and publications Report on Key Indicators of the Population and Family Health Survey (DHS) 2017 In early July, the Department of Statistics released the results of the key indicators of the Population and Family Health Survey in the presence of a number of representatives of concerned national and international organizations The Population and Family Health Survey is the seventh survey of demographic surveys carried out in Jordan. tion and to serve as a tool for assessing existing population and health programs and policies. Coverage of the survey reached 98%. The results showed a decrease in the total fertility rate (which represents the average number of children that women can give birth to during their childbearing years) from 5.6 in 1990 to 3.7 in 2002, and from 3.5 children per woman aged in 2012 to 2.7 in the survey. This means that women in Jordan have an average of 2.7 children throughout their childbearing life. On the other hand, fertility rate in rural areas increased to 3.1 children compared to urban areas (2.7). These results are consistent with the average Jordanian household size of 4.8 as per the Population and Housing Census of The largest disparities in total fertility rates by The Department of Statistics carries out this survey in the same manner it previously had in 1990, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2009 and The main objective of this survey is to provide comprehensive data on births, mortality, family planning and maternal and child health and nutri nationality was found with Syrian women, with 4.7 children per Syrian woman aged 15-49, compared with 2.6 children per Jordanian woman and 1.9 women of other nationalities. 7

10 By governorate, the capital and Karak recorded the lowest fertility rate, at 2.3 children per woman aged In contrast, the governorate of Mafraq recorded the highest fertility rate, at 4.1 children per woman aged The largest disparity in total fertility rate was found with Syrian women, with 4.7 children per Syrian woman aged years, compared with 2.6 children per Jordanian woman and 1.9 women of other nationalities. Child mortality rate under the age of five was 19 per 1,000 live births during the five-year period preceding the survey (for the years ). Most deaths occur during the first year of life, with 17 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the mortality rate between the first year of life and the fifth birthday is 3 deaths per 1,000 children who completed one year of age. As expected, deaths during the first month of life (neonatal mortality) are higher than postnatal mortality (11 Source: Department of Statistics, 2018, Population As for adolescent fertility rates (aged 15-19), results show that 5% of female teenagers have started to give birth, 3% had live births, and 2% were pregnant with their first child at the time of the interview. Moreover, results show that giving birth during adolescence was most common in Mafraq (13%). By nationality, Syrian women had the highest adolescent fertility rate compared with women of other nationalities at 28%. deaths per 1000 children compared to 6 deaths per 1,000 children), representing around 65% of all infant deaths. Data shows that 98% of women received early health care from a health professional (doctor, nurse, or midwife) during pregnancy with their last child during the five years preceding the survey and that health professionals assisted almost all births. Non-Jordanian women, uneducated females and mothers living in the lowest of wealth quintile are less likely to give birth in a health facility compared to other women. More than 8 out of 10 women who gave birth during the two years preceding the survey received antenatal care within two days. Eighty-three percent of women who gave birth during the two years preceding the survey received antenatal care within two days. By nationality, the percentage reached 85% among Jordanians, and 76% among Syrians. 8