Table 2 Summary of programs focused on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Jordan since 2008 retrieved in literature review

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence [33]

UN Women organizes an annual global campaign entitled “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. In 2015, several Jordanian civil society organizations participated and Princess Basma Bint Talal, supported the campaign.

Arab Women Organization of Jordan (AWO)

AWO is engaged in several initiatives to promote women’s participation in policy and civil society, as well as advocating for increased gender-equitable policies [59].

Safe Spaces [49]

UNFPA-supported safe spaces includes case management, psychosocial support, and legal services for survivors of GBV. In Zaatari Camp, UNFPA runs OASIS space in conjunction with UN Women. Safe Spaces are closely aligned with SRH services to facilitate care and referral.

AmaniSupported by UN Agencies, including UNFPA, UNHCR, and UNICEF, Amani is an information campaign that focuses on child protection and gender based violence, and recognizes early marriage as a form of sexual and gender-based violence. The campaign provides communities with informational material to distribute that targets both adults and children through the story of a girl named “Amani” and her family. Communities distribute the messages through learning spaces, local radio, health clinics, etc. [40]

Arab Women Speak Out (Irbid: 2011, Zarqa: 2009–2010) [60, 61]

The Arab Women Speak Out is a program implemented by the Jordan Health Communication Partnership (funded by USAID) that consists of two parts: 1) a training encourages participants to explore SRH subjects through participatory exercises and presentations and 2) an information dissemination program that uses social networks to distribute flash cards with messages about reproductive health, including early marriage. The results of the second phase in Irbid include a focus on early marriage. At baseline, 85% of participants disagreed with the statement that “early marriage is a good basis for a happy and stable life.” At endline, over 90% of all participants reported discouraging their daughters or nieces from marrying before the age of 18 and their sons or nephews before the age of 22 [44].

Emergency Assistance for Refugees and Host Communities affected by the Syrian Crisis in Jordan (2017) [62]

This activity was funded by DfID, and was implemented by CARE International and the Jordan Women’s Union. In 2017, 54 awareness raising sessions were conducted for 1620 women and adolescents, with an average 30 participants per session, at CARE centers in Amman, Azraq, Irbid, Mafraq and Zarqa. Topics discussed in the awareness-raising sessions included: reproductive health, the psychological and physical effects of violence, and sexual violence and mechanisms of protection against sexual violence. Under this project, at JWU, CARE also conducted a training of trainers (ToT) for 10 CARE staff, to enhance their knowledge and support in psychosocial activities, particularly on the topic of SRHR. The majority of respondents reported that their participation has a direct effect on enhancing their social wellbeing (77%), it increased self-esteem (74%), enhanced stress relief (61%), increased their information and skills (54%), enhanced their negotiation and communication skills (45%), increased their mobility in public space (36%), and enhanced their emotional regulation (36%). In addition, 30% of crisis-affected population (especially women and adolescent girls of reproductive age) reported accessing at least one sexual and reproductive health service through support by CARE and/or its partners.

My Vision for the Future: an adolescent and youth focused assessment on GBV and SRHR (2018) [62]

This project is an ongoing research activity conducted by CARE International in Partnership with Plan International. The purpose of this assessment is to support the delivery of programming for the prevention and response to GBV among adolescents and youth in Jordan. The assessment aims to 1) describe the existing evidence base for interventions to address GBV as it affects female and male adolescents and youth in Jordan and 2) Identifies solutions for preventing and respond to GBV in Jordan to be implemented with adolescents and youth. Additionally, this study will attempt to identify means to support adolescent and youth survivors of sexual violence and young married women through sexual and reproduction health (SRH) services.