Jordan's Strong Stand Against Human Trafficking: A Closer Look
In the heart of the Middle East, where ancient history meets modernity, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Nestled between Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Jordan has played a pivotal role in the region for centuries. It covers an area of 89,342 sq km and has a population of approximately 10 million people, of whom two-thirds are Jordanian nationals. Jordan is home to some 2.7 million refugees notably from Palestine, Iraq and Syria. Some social unrest exists due to refugee issues, but overall the country remains stable, primarily due to the government's support for international businesses, policies of liberalization and its well-trained and equipped security forces.
Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights, a contemporary form of slavery that preys on the vulnerable and thrives in the shadows.
It encompasses various forms, from forced labor and sexual exploitation to organ trafficking and child trafficking, forced marriages among others. In Jordan, this multifaceted challenge has not gone unnoticed, and the country has embarked on a dedicated mission to combat this global menace.
According to the Trafficking in Persons report of 2023 the government of Jordan is placed at Tier 2 for it does not fully meet the minimum standards of the elimination of trafficking but it is making some effort to do so.
These efforts include:
Increasing convictions and applying adequate prison terms to convicted traffickers
Identifying more victims and potential victims
Providing shelter and assistance to more victims
Approving shelter bylaws to improve access to services for potential victims identified outside of law enforcement actions
Jordan Trafficking Profile
Undocumented & Informal Work
Many of the foreign migrant workers that Jordan relies on are undocumented, and thus vulnerable to trafficking due to informal work agreements.
Kafala System
Jordan’s visa sponsorship system increases foreign workers’ vulnerability to trafficking by preventing them from changing employers without the initial employer’s consent. Because work permits are linked to a specific employer, when a worker quits one job before securing another, the worker loses legal status thereby increasing vulnerability to trafficking. Unscrupulous employers exploit the non-transferability of work visas to control or manipulate workers.
Forced Labor & Domestic Workers
Forced labor victims in Jordan experience withheld or non-payment of wages, confiscation of identity documents, restricted freedom of movement, unsafe living conditions, long hours without rest, isolation, and verbal and physical abuse.
In 2022, an NGO estimated there were 500,000 domestic workers in Jordan, primarily female and from South and Southeast Asia and East and West Africa, who are highly vulnerable to forced labor.
Refugees
Many refugees from Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and other locations are also highly vulnerable to trafficking in Jordan - especially women and children who work illegally or in the informal sector.
This is exacerbated by the government's restrictions on refugees' ability to work in the formal employment sectors. Specifically, non-Syrian and non-Palestinian refugees’, including those from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, do not have access to the formal labor market or are required to renounce their UNHCR registration to obtain work permits.
Labor & Sex Trafficking
There have been reported cases of Syrian refugee women and girls sold into forced marriages in Jordan. Refugee boys and young men, in particular, often work illegally and informally in the Jordanian economy, which puts them at risk of trafficking.
Traffickers have also exploited Lebanese, North African, and Eastern European women in sex trafficking who have migrated to Jordan to work in restaurants and nightclubs. Some Jordanian women working in nightclubs also may be exploited in sex trafficking.
The 3Ps is the fundamental framework used around the world to combat human trafficking:
PREVENTION
The government of Jordan maintained prevention efforts through:
Continued implementation of its 2019-2022 National Anti-Trafficking Strategy in partnership with NGOs and international organizations.
Continued evaluation of the 2019-2022 strategy and drafted a 2023-2026 National Anti-Trafficking Strategy in partnership with Non-Governmental organizations.
Awareness raising about trafficking crimes throughout the country.
Inclusion trafficking indicators within the computerized labor inspection system and within labor inspectors’ checklists;
Continued operation of a hotline to receive complaints of labor violations and potential trafficking crimes by Ministry of labor(MOL) and counter trafficking unit(CTU).
Granting permission to domestic workers to change employers.
Maintaining several bilateral labor agreements with other countries detailing recruitment procedures, working conditions, and wages.
The government passport law criminalized the withholding of passports by an employer,
PROTECTION
The government increased victim protection efforts by:
Approval of a new National referral mechanism (NRM) and accompanying victim identification standard operating procedures ( SOPs) for victim identification and referral to services in March 2023.
Referring of potential trafficking victims to Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) juvenile assistance centers for support.
Providing assistance in the voluntary repatriation of victims.
Providing legal alternatives to foreign victims for their removal to countries where they faced retribution or hardship.
Granting residency permits to 14 forced labor victims.
PROSECUTION
The government increased law enforcement efforts through:
Amending the law on counter trafficking which prescribed penalties of imprisonment and a fine for adult labor trafficking.
Increased the number of cases prosecuted and number of traffickers convicted by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
Continued implementation of new case management procedures by Counter trafficking unit (CTU) to allow its investigators to follow cases through prosecution
Capacity building of law enforcers and front line officials on Human trafficking.
RECCOMENDATIONS
According to the trafficking in persons report, Jordan should further enhance its efforts in combating human trafficking through:
Reforming the visa sponsorship system by enforcing labor law protections for all workers in Jordan, and allow workers to freely change employers.
Continuously increasing efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict sex trafficking and labor trafficking crimes;
Increasing survivor input when forming policies, programs, and trainings.
Enact other preventative measures to protect migrant domestic workers
Increase efforts to proactively screen for and identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations
Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked
Continue allocating adequate funding for operation of the government’s trafficking shelter.
Regulate and investigate fraudulent labor and recruitment practices and permanently blacklist employers and recruitment agencies violating workers’ rights.
REFERENCES
https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/jordan/jordan-country-brief
https://crisis24.garda.com/insights-intelligence/intelligence/country-reports/jordan
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/jordan/
https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/jordan