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Biography of Rana Husseini

   
 

As a Jordanian woman journalist writing for The Jordan Times, Husseini focused on social issues with a special emphasis on violence against women, as well as the brutal crimes that are committed against Jordanian women in the name of family honor.

Her coverage of and dedication to ending this unjustified practice against women helped raise national awareness on a topic that is traditionally considered taboo. Until The Jordan Times began reporting on so-called crimes of honour, the local press shied away from addressing the issue. The government responded by introducing legal changes that suggest tougher punishments for perpetrators of such crimes.
 
Rana Husseini has earned eight local and international awards, including a medal from HM King Abdullah II in 2007, for reporting on such crimes.The international recognition pushed a group of young Jordanians to contact Husseini wanting to organize grass-root movements to fight this phenomenon in 1998. The result was the formation of the National Jordanian Committee to Eliminate so-called Crimes of Honour. In four months, the committee managed to raise people's awareness about these crimes and the injustices inflicted on women, in addition to collecting over 15,000 signatures demanding the cancellation of all the laws that offer leniency for such murders.

Husseini was interviewed by various local, arab and international media such as CNN, ABC, BBC, NY Times, Al Jazeera, and the Chicago Tribune.Based on these efforts she has been invited to lecture in several local and international conferences regarding the issue.

In adition to her extensive experience in the journalism field, Husseini has conducted several consultancies and advocacy for women’s rights in the Middle East and Jordan with local NGOs and international organizations. She has served as special advisor to Freedom House on women’s issues and press freedom in Jordan.


She also worked as a regional coordinator for the United Nation's Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) campaign to eliminate violence against women in five Arab countries. She worked as a regional consultant for UNIFEM regional office in Amman and Equality Now in the U.S. conducting research on human rights violations against women and children in seven countries in the Middle East.

Board Membership & Activities:

  • Member of the Jordan Press Association since 2005
  • Member of the board – Jordanian National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation since 2003
  • Member of the board of the Jordan Basketball Federation 2003 - 2004
  • Member of the board – Forefront Organization (USA) since 1999
  • Member of the “Jordanian National Committee to Eliminate so-called Honour Crimes” since 1999
  • Member of judges panel – Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism 2001
  • Team captain of the Jordanian Women's National Basketball team from 1995 to 2000. Member of the national team since 1983.