00:00 It's been six months since Batoun returned to her workplace.
00:04 For four years, the young woman worked in this store.
00:07 We've hidden her name at her request.
00:10 I was a saleswoman in this store from 2018 to 2022.
00:15 There were four of us, three men and me.
00:18 She says she was harassed for years and still finds it difficult to tell her story.
00:23 It all started with flirting from one of her former colleagues.
00:27 It was in the Amman Citadel park that she managed for the first time, three months ago,
00:32 to confide to one of her friends.
00:36 At first I didn't say anything.
00:38 I told myself it wasn't serious.
00:40 I didn't want to cause a problem.
00:42 I was afraid to tell anyone close to me for fear of losing my job.
00:46 He was playing games with me.
00:47 He said that we were going to be able to sort the relationship problems we had together.
00:51 But behind my back he was saying bad things about me and was talking about me to my manager.
00:56 He was saying everything to the manager.
00:58 Several lawyers specialising in labour law are trying to raise awareness amongst Jordanian
01:02 women so they can better understand their rights.
01:05 In this workshop organised by the Arab Women's Union, one of the oldest feminist organisations
01:11 in the country, Jordanian women debate and ask lawyers questions about the new law.
01:16 According to several women's rights organisations, harassment at work affects nearly 50% of women
01:21 in Jordan.
01:22 But there are few prosecutions because victims fear reprisals.
01:26 According to this lawyer, the new law against harassment doesn't go far enough.
01:32 Article 29 is a good step forward, but it's not exhaustive because it only addresses the
01:37 issue of harassment through the prism of the employer.
01:40 But a woman can be exposed to harassment and abuse from colleagues or customers in the
01:44 workplace.
01:45 The definition of harassment in this law and the resulting sanctions are therefore insufficient.
01:51 Female participation in the Jordanian labour market is amongst the lowest in the world,
01:56 standing at barely 14% according to the World Bank.
01:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]
