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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Lost Sense of Security

Lost sense of Security

This time I'm coping something written by my colleague, not our of laziness or lack of inspiration but out of urgency. you will understand once you read what she has to say.

Hello everyone,

This is not a spam or virus or anything like that. This email is to warn you about an awful incident that happened to me last week, Wednesday, March 25, 2010, and seems to be an epidemic in Jordan. Please read this and forward it to your family, friends and everyone you think should know about this!

I live near the Royal Automobile Club - 7th circle, and my office is literally a four minute walk from my house. Since the weather started warming up, I have been walking to work. So on Wednesday, on my way to work I was stopped by a taxi, with a driver and two women in their late 30’s - early 40 who asked for change for JOD 20 in a non Jordanian dialect (probably, Moroccan, Algerian or Tunisian). I waved them away and walked on. The women behind the driver asked me again, politely using a ‘motherly’ tone that made me think ‘why not! I’ll help them’, so I opened my wallet took out two 10’s handed them over to the women in the car, took the 20, they thanked me, I thanked them and I walked on. Should this have been a robbery they would have taken my wallet and drove away that minute, because they had easy access!

That’s when the driver pulled his car very close to me while I was walking, which made me jump on the sidewalk, and the exact same women that used the ‘motherly’ tone started asking me aggressively where I was going, and that they wanted me to get in the car with them so that they would take me wherever I was going. I told them to go away, and walked faster, trying to keep my distance from the taxi. They kept insisting until I held my mobile and shouted ‘I’m calling the police!’, the driver then shoved his door open, which blocked my way and jumped on me trying to grab my arm, I don’t know how I got loose from his grip, and I started running and shouting down the street! The street I’m talking about is a residential street less than 100 Meters away from my house! The women started shouting ‘She’s getting away!’ the man was shouting ‘I will get you!’ That’s when another car drove down the road and they drove off!

I spent the whole day giving statements from one police department to another, trying to identify pictures of ex-convicts and felons. And I learned that this is a gang responsible for human trafficking. They choose a girl with a certain criteria, they watch her and learn her every move, where she goes, when she arrives, leaves and everything. They kidnap the girl when least expected then take her to a farm, drug her, rape her, video tape it, threaten her, and give her an ultimatum, become a prostitute or they will show this to the world. This leads to forced prostitution, slavery and human trafficking.

I also learned that a girl in Sweifieh was kidnapped around two months ago, witnesses say a taxi and two women took her.
Now I have police following me every morning and night. I do not feel safe, and I am scared out of my mind because apparently they might attack again. It is our right to feel safe walking in our own country, not looking over our shoulder, scared for your sisters, daughters, cousins, and friends. This is crime against basic human rights, women’s rights and children’s rights.
As horrible as this may sound, but it is true! I don’t want to sound mean, or insensitive, but this could happen to anyone, this isn’t one of the stories you hear and think, this will never happen to me, my sisters, my cousins, my friends or my daughter, but I am a regular someone, a sister, a cousin, a friend and a daughter.

They have taken my sense of security, safety and human compassion; don’t let them do the same to you. Please circulate this message to all your girlfriends and family, and talk about it, let’s make sure everyone is aware of this. Keep an out eye for each other.
Be safe and careful!

Zein

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

it gives her the chance to buy a taser! let her ask for permission from the police dept and they will accept to buy it to protect herself.. tasers are fun!

Tamara said...

Thanks Anon - I guess all women should get tasers !

sheeshany said...

I have been away from Jordan for 2 years now, things are getting really scary in my opinion! incidents like these are on the rise as I keep hearing, suicide attempts also are getting "popular".

Things have surely changed :(.

Thanks for sharing.
H.

Tamara said...

Haitham

Thanks for passing by. things are changing rapodly but not to the better.

Haitham Seelawi said...

If I was in that street I would have fought that man till I kill or be killed! I do really feel raged at this shit!GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

My sisters friend a 13 years old girl that looks like an 8 years old was stabbed by an mf for no obvious reason, while she was entering the building where she lives! He is in the prison now, and honestly I think these people should be executed right in the middle of roman theater!

Whisper said...

I'm so sorry for what happened to ur friend
This is so scary, I live nearly at the same place ur friend lives, and sadly I didn't hear about this incidence, they should spread this story to all girls around,to let girls be aware of what may happen and to be prepared too.

I'm really shocked :(

Unknown said...

The fact that the woman who wrote this is your friend is really scary. I mean sometimes when you get msges like this, you simply ignore them and think they were spiced up or whatever, But this is really bad and scary! I will send a link to your blog to my sisters and friends in Amman.

Tamara said...

Genek Dama

Amman is becomin one scary place, I do agree these people should be killed!

Whisper

Thank you for your feelings, she and every one she knows are doing their best to spread the word ! we all should be carefull

Nido

what you said is so true. the fact it happened in a quite nice area neer where we work is sureal. and that I know her brings things to a new level. if did not know her I would have not believed such a story

Diana Habashneh said...

can publish this in my blog to get more attention?

Dino$ said...

i think amman and evrey country is a scary place because there are psychos murders, pedophiles, kidnappers and all sorts of balawee all over the world. its just that some countries choose to keep it "hush hush" maybe some placesa r scarier than others with higher crime rates.

but i agree that all woman should have some sort of taser or mace. something for protection.

nice blog tamara