The increasing number of sexual harassment incidents in the country has prompted deputies to call for criminalising the offence, as the current Penal Code does not list it as a crime.
Some 20 MPs submitted a memo to the Lower House’s permanent office on Thursday to encourage the government to include “sexual harassment” under the Penal Code crimes list.
The petition is led by MP Wafaa Bani Mustafa (Jerash, 1st District).
In their memo, the signatories called for imposing stiff penalties on those convicted of committing harassment.
Under the proposed amendment to the Penal Code, convicted harassers face a prison sentence of up to one year, a fine of no more than JD1,000, or both, according to the memo.
The MPs also want the Penal Code to clearly identify sexual harassment as a “crime”, defining it as any attempt by an individual to harass another person through touch, speech, telephone conversation and text message or over the Internet.
In July, Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni said the ministry’s legal committee is reviewing the Penal Code and will increase penalties in sexual harassment cases.
He said the amendments will include publishing photos of those proven guilty of sexual harassment in dailies as a legal deterrent.
The Penal Code imposes imprisonment of up to six months or a fine on those found guilty of committing harassment, according to Talhouni.
