Report: 10 horrific family homicides in Jordan in 2024

The Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI) released a report monitoring family homicides in Jordan during the first half of 2024. 

The report reveals a 25 percent decrease in family homicides compared to the same period in 2023. However, it notes that the crimes in 2024 were more violent and harmful.

- Most victims are women -

SIGI’s data shows that the first half of 2024 witnessed 10 family homicides, resulting in 12 victims, nine females and three males. 

This is a decrease from the 15 family homicides reported in the first half of 2023, which resulted in 16 victims, 12 females and four males.

All the crimes were committed by either the father or the husband. Of the 10 crimes, the perpetrator was the husband in five cases and the father in two. 

Among these were particularly horrific incidents: one involving a father who strangled his two-year-old daughter in the Sahab area east of the capital, Amman, and another where a father abused his one-year-old daughter to death.

The remaining crimes included a brother killing his sister, a husband killing his wife and then committing suicide, a doctor killed in Amman due to a family dispute, and a 24-hour-old baby girl found strangled.

- Increasing domestic violence -

SIGI’s report also highlights a significant increase in domestic violence cases in 2023. 

According to the National Team for Domestic Violence Protection, 58,068 domestic violence cases were recorded in 2023, a 38 percent increase from the 41,966 cases in 2022. 

In 80 percent of cases, the majority of the victims were females, with husbands being the perpetrators in 62 percent of the cases.

- Drugs: A contributing factor to rising domestic violence -

SIGI believes that the rise in drug crimes is contributing to the increase in domestic violence. 

The Criminal Information Department in the Public Security Directorate (PSD) report showed increased drug-related crimes in 2023, reaching 22,956 cases compared to 18,334 in 2022.