The DHS Program

December 1, 2008 
First-ever domestic violence data available in Jordan

Amman, Jordan. One in five married women report that they have ever experienced physical violence by their husband reports the 2007 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey. Twelve percent of these women experienced spousal physical violence within the past year. The 2007 JPFHS provides the first nationally representative data on domestic violence in the country. Only a small proportion of abused women seek help from medical personnel, police, or lawyers.

Physical violence from other perpetrators is also common. One-third of ever-married women have experienced physical violence since the age 15. Additionally, 13 percent of all women experienced physical violence in the past year.

The 2007 JPFHS is the fourth Population and Family Health survey conducted in Jordan. It provides important data for monitoring the population and health situation in Jordan. Overall, maternal and child health indicators show promising trends in Jordan. Infant mortality is quite low and has seen a sharp decline since 1976. Currently, one in every 50 children dies before his or her fifth birth, which is half the number of under-five births in 1990. Additionally, the large majority of children (94 percent) received all basic vaccinations except BCG (measles and 3 doses each of DPT and polio vaccine). However, there is marked variation in coverage by governorate—only 84 percent of children in Ma’an received all basic vaccinations versus 96 percent in Zarqa, Irbid, and Balqa.

Maternal care is high in Jordan. Almost three-quarters of women had at least seven antenatal visits, and nine in ten women had an antenatal visit during the first trimester of pregnancy. Additionally, the majority of women delivered in a health facility, and 74 percent of women had a delivery assisted by a doctor. However, only about one-quarter of births were protected against neonatal tetanus.

An essential tool in the fight against the AIDS epidemic is knowledge of prevention methods. However, knowledge of abstinence and condoms is low in Jordan. Only 43 percent of women know that HIV can be prevented by abstaining from sex, and only half of women know that using condoms can reduce the risk of becoming infected with the virus.

The 2007 JPFHS was conducted among 14,564 households and 10,876 ever-married women aged 15-49 were interviewed by the Department of Statistics. Macro International Inc. provided technical assistance in the design, implementation, and analysis of the survey as part of the USAID-funded Demographic and Health Surveys project (MEASURE DHS). Funding for the survey was provided primarily by the Government of Jordan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Additional funds were provided by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Additional information on the JPFHS may be obtained from the Department of Statistics, P.O. Box 2015, Amman, Jordan; telephone: (962) 6-5300700; email: stat@dos.gov.jo