Dozens of Jordanian women staged sit-ins demanding their rights and equality with men, referencing the Jordanian Constitution which does not discriminate between either sex.

The demonstration was carried out on Wednesday morning in front of the Prime Minister's home and is the first demonstration of its kind. Activists want it to come as a reminder to policy makers of the rights of women and their treatment from men.

Na'ma Habashneh, the organizer of the sit-in, spoke to 'AmmanNet' about the message she wanted to send to Jordan and the Prime Minister through the protest. "We do not only demand the rights guaranteed in the Constitution," arguing that the government plays a major role in granting Jordanian citizenship to the children of Jordanian women.

As long as children of Jordanian nationality continue to be denied citizenship,  thousands will continue to be stripped of their rights in the country in which they were born. Intizar says that her children were denied the right to education because of their lack of citizenship, required to pay thousands of dinars, and are now stuck with these debts after University.

The suffering of Jordanians does not stop at education and legal rights alone, but also in public life. "There are many times when I don't drive on main roads in order to avoid any chance of being pulled over by police who will request documents from me that I don't have and stop me for hours because I only own a birth certificate," says a young sit-in participant named Muhammad.

A letter was delivered to the Prime Minister by the women protesters informing him of their suffering and the natural born rights they should be granted by their country. The letter was signed by the names of the sit-in attendees.

Umm Muhammad participated in the sit-in on order to deliver the message to policy makers that her children are "Jordanian by identity and citizenship,"  and should be granted their rights. She shared part of her story: "My daughters are married to Jordanians and received citizenship while my sons still suffer in work and public life."

Aroob Subh, who participated and covered the sit-in, confirmed that the right of Jordanian citizenship comes from being a Jordanian citizen, "we are given this right in the Constitution and it is undeniable."

Subh is married to a non-Jordanian and views this sit-in as a chance to tell policy-makers, "we are here," and adds that her love for Jordan makes her yearn to give this nationality to her own children because "Nationality and Citizenship rights should be for all." She made no secret of the fear she feels that her children will face many obstacles when they are older, including being denied Jordan as their country.

This sit-in was mobilized by "Women's  National Cause," a group born from the "National Progressive Movement."

Representative of the National Dialogue Committee, Khalid Ramadan stated that Jordan grants citizenship to its people, and this right applies to the women of Jordan as well.

Ramadan added that the idea that Jordan will become an alternative homeland, "is a big lie, don't be fooled." He urges the government to be more open towards the number of Jordanian women married to non-Jordanians, something they do not want disclosed.

I attended the sit-in, not only to demand that Jordanian children are granted citizenship, but also to demand rights for Jordanian women, "yes, there is social discrimination against women in Jordan in both the work place and in public life," said Mace. She believes that justice can be achieved through community-based efforts.

Muhammed carried a banner demanding rights for those that are not married. He stated that his father does not have Jordanian citizenship and because of this, "I have been unemployed since my graduation from University in 2007." Attempting to find work in the private sector did not yield any results either.

He worked in his field of study, information technology, after many long years of struggle, "I accepted a very, very low paying job, however this  work was not for me." His friend Rami is also in the same situation and explained that traveling between home and work requires psychological preparation, "because at any moment I can be stopped and arrested on my way to work and all I have is  my birth certificate."

Rami tells the story of an incident that occurred to his brother once who tried to acquire a driver's license. He was shaken by the response he received from an employee at the Department of Licensing when he informed him he didn't have the documents the man was asking for, "Aren't you embarrassed with yourself for wanting a license? Go feed your family instead." The retort came as a shock to him and he did not resume efforts to acquire a license after that.

Asma, who was carrying a banner as well as her baby stated, "my three sons get to have the life their father has and this is what makes my life hell; no privileges, no rights, not a life like everyone else. Give us our rights in our country."

The sit-in lasted for hours and will not stop with the delivery of a letter to the Prime Minister but will instead continue through other means, including the internet. According to Habashneh this movement will not end.