Issue/Publication: Jordan Business

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When Parliament in Jordan overwhelmingly rejected a proposed law imposing harsher penalties for 'honor' killings, it triggered international outrage. It also caught the attention of one American marketer. Nina Robertson talks to Ellen Sheeley about how she is using her business skill set to try and overturn the law.

At least 25 women are killed in the name of 'honor' in Jordan every year, according to official statistics. This translates into one of the highest rates per capita in the world. Pakistan ranks at number one, with around 1,000 'honor' killings per annum.

Currently, the laws in place have several troubling clauses. Specifically, Articles 97, 98, and 340 of the Jordanian Penal Code offer leniency to men who have killed a woman on the grounds that she has dishonored her family.

Article 340 of the Jordanian Penal Code stipulates that a man benefits from a reduction in penalty if, after witnessing his wife or a female relative in an adulterous affair, he kills one or both of them. Article 98, meanwhile, guarantees a lighter sentence for male killers who have committed a "crime in a fit of fury caused by an unlawful or dangerous act on the part of the victim." And Article 97 states that: "The judiciary shall be independent and, in the exercise of its judicial functions, shall be subject to no authority other than that of the law."

This article allows legal guardians to drop charges against the perpetrator, usually the brother.

The government has focused on Article 340 of the Penal Code being overturned, but human rights activists argue that is it Article 98 that should be targeted, because Article 340 is rarely, if ever, applied in court.

Despite several attempts to quash the bills, the latest in 2005, when both HM King Abdullah and the Jordanian Upper House favored the repeal, the Jordanian Lower House has consistently failed to ratify them.

Identifying the Cause

Three years ago, 'honor' killings grabbed the attention of Ellen Sheeley, a self-employed bank marketer from the United States. "I was watching an ABC news report on 'honor' killings in Jordan by Sheila MacVicar. She was standing outside Jweideh [Women's Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre], saying that the women were there because they were being threatened by these so-called 'honor' killings. I was troubled by the human rights aspect of the problem. It just struck me as odd that these women were the victims, yet they were behind bars," Ms. Sheeley explained.

"When I'd done some secondary market research in the States, I came across the 1999/2000 campaign, which has tried to overturn Article 340. I realized that it was missing a marketing element. I recognized a need for someone [who has experience] to go in and use their professional communication skills and persuasion skills, and even to a point lobbying skills. I have all of these, so I knew this was something I could take on."

In 1999, Jordanian activists collected 15,000 signatures demanding the cancellation of Article 340.

For Ms. Sheeley, her added input could be the missing component needed to tip the scales. In 2003, she traveled to Jordan looking for answers.

When she asked several experts why Articles 97, 98, and 340 had failed to be overturned, she was told society was not ready, that there was a lack of political will, and that there were social, cultural and religious barriers restricting any change. "More often than not, what seems to be the standard view is unsupported by empirical evidence; that is why companies spend millions and millions of dollars each year for information," Ms. Sheeley said. "I wanted to see hard data that supported these assertions, but I found none."

After continuing her research into 'honor' killings in the U.S., it seemed plausible that Jordan was one country out of many that could see the laws cancelled. "From what I'd seen, Jordan showed real [promise]. By combining the continuing efforts of the activists, the attorneys, and the journalists with the techniques of modern marketing, I felt and still feel a real possibility of overturning the laws and changing attitudes... about 'honor killings,' " she said.

Taking a Gamble

Last year, Ms. Sheeley decided to leave her business in the U.S. and returned to Jordan. "By 2005, I'd had two years of researching into this and thinking about it. I believe that in life you have to takes risks. I didn't want to reach 80 [years old] and regret having not done anything," she explained. The main objectives of the project, Ms. Sheeley told Jordan Business, were to conduct applied, empirical market research on media consumption habits and attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about 'honor' killings in Jordan.

"I knew there was a chance that I would get nowhere with this. Maybe people wouldn't talk to me. I'd been warned about possible dangers of doing a project like this. But I thought, 'Somebody's got to stand up to this. Somebody needs to shake up the order.'"

Arguably the most striking and maybe even unexpected result was people's response to penalties for 'honor' killings. When asked if 'honor' killings should carry the same punishment as other murders, a massive 94.5% of survey respondents said "yes." Similarly, 86% said they did not believe victims deserve to be killed.

A Panoramic Approach

To understand 'honor' killings, Ms. Sheeley visited three of Jordan's main cities (Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid), as well as 18 other smaller towns, refugee camps, and villages throughout the country.

Ms. Sheeley interviewed Jordanians via in-depth, face to face interviews. She believes her research is representative of the different segments of society and that she has applied the methodology sufficient when conducting marketing research.

The questionnaire was comprised of four sections. Section A consisted entirely of questions about media consumption habits, a marketing research technique used to identify means of penetrating the target audience. Section B was comprised of statements designed to reveal attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about 'honor' killings. Section C consisted of demographic questions. And the final section was simply an open ended opportunity to clarify any survey responses or to comment on any aspect of the study. 

Although the findings could be used in launching a social marketing campaign to tackle 'honor' killings, Ms. Sheeley believes this would not necessarily be warranted. "There is already evidence that the survey respondents and, by projection, the Jordanian population at large, do not support 'honor' killings and are already amenable to overturning the three articles of the Jordanian Penal Code."

Weighing Out the Results

Another interesting finding was that the institutions that play the most important roles in overturning Articles 97, 98, and 340--the government and the monarchy--were ranked as the least influential in terms of public opinion. Parents, religion, and religious leaders in that order were the most influential; therefore, they would be far more likely to change attitudes on 'honor' killings and their legislation. The outcome of Ms. Sheeley's research techniques and findings could prove very effective in solving social problems and supporting civil society institutions. With the project completed, she has recently taken the results of the survey to the Lower House. As noble as this is, it has all come at a cost: Ms. Sheeley has funded the research out of her own pocket. At this point, the resources have been exhausted. If she cannot find donations to keep her efforts ongoing, the project could grind to a premature halt.

In the meantime Ms. Sheeley is tenaciously pushing forward with her findings. "I'm so pleased with the outcome of the survey," she said. "It exceeded my expectations. And it reaffirmed my faith in people."