US embassy cable - 03AMMAN5763

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005763 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOL/ILAB FOR TINA FAULKNER AND DRL/IL FOR MELINDA HARPOLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, ETRD, PHUM, SOCI, JO 
SUBJECT: CHILD LABOR INFORMATION UPDATE: JORDAN 
 
REF: STATE 193266 
 
 1. As requested in reftel, post is providing additional 
information on child labor in Jordan. Ministry of Labor (MOL) 
officials informed post that they are aware of DOL reporting 
requirements and recently provided clarifications on three 
issues in the 2002 DOL child labor report through the 
Jordanian embassy in Washington. 
 
2. Post continues to discuss child labor with host government 
officials, local and international NGOs, and local and 
international labor groups. This usually occurs in the 
context of general labor conditions and poverty alleviation 
since the worst forms of child labor, as defined in ILO 
Convention 182, are virtually nonexistent in Jordan. 
 
3. Post notes that the majority of the information found in 
the 2002 report remains unchanged. The following responses 
with updated information are keyed to the respective sections 
of paragraph 8 in reftel: 
 
A)    In the past, Jordan worked from a Ministry of Labor 
(MOL) list released in 1997 to define illegal child labor. 
However, in recognition of its obligations as a signatory to 
ILO Convention 182, the GOJ formed a national steering 
committee consisting of the Ministry of Labor, labor union 
and NGO representatives, and employers, associations, among 
others. The committee recommended a number of legal and, 
largely, regulatory modifications to bring Jordan into 
compliance. The GOJ is currently in the process of making 
those modifications. Any proposed legal changes must be 
submitted to the newly elected parliament for consideration. 
 
There have been no new enforcement initiatives. The GOJ views 
its present role as largely (1) educational and (2) central 
to resolving individual cases through mediation. Based on 
data collected by the Ministry of Labor since 2001, a 
national strategy to coordinate the efforts of the Ministries 
of Labor, Education, Social Development, Interior and 
Planning in alleviating child labor conditions is planned for 
implementation in 2004. 
 
C)    The GOJ has no systematic mechanism for receiving and 
addressing child labor complaints. However, there is an 
informal system for investigating such complaints. Since the 
formation of the MOL Child Labor Unit (CLU) in 2001, it has 
taken reports from NGOs and other ministries and passed the 
complaints directly to the relevant regional MOL labor 
inspector for investigation. Inspectors are expected to 
report back to the CLU the results of their investigations. 
The MOL has no jurisdiction in agricultural or domestic work 
cases, but recognizes this discrepancy and is attempting to 
address it through the steering committee recommendations and 
national strategy mentioned previously. 
 
The CLU is staffed with 5 full-time employees and is funded 
primarily by the ILO, with 10 per cent of its funding coming 
from the MOL. The MOL has 89 labor inspectors in 22 offices 
around the country charged with enforcing child labor 
regulations, among other enforcement duties. 
 
In 2002, the MOL investigated the cases of approximately 
3,000 child laborers, gathering statistics on each. The MOL 
operates under a system of warnings prior to prosecution, and 
none of these cases resulted in fines, penalties or 
convictions for the employers. In previous years, some cases 
have been referred to courts. 
 
Most "awareness raising" for labor inspectors is done through 
formal memos from the MOL. For example, in order to comply 
with ILO Convention 182, in February 2003 the MOL sent a memo 
to inspectors informing them that the minimum age for working 
with hazardous materials was raised from 17 to 18 years old. 
The GOJ is also currently implementing a UNESCO-ILO program 
called Support Child Rights through Education, Arts, and the 
Media. Administered by the Ministry of Education, it is 
intended to inform relevant government officials (mostly 
educators) of children,s rights. The facilitators will 
conduct a workshop in October 2003 for the 40 trainers who 
will then carry out training sessions throughout the country. 
 
D) The MOL has given its inspectors a mandate to ensure that, 
when a case involving child labor is discovered, the adult 
members of the child laborer's family are offered job 
training. Inspectors have unofficially referred members of 
these families to the MOL,s Vocational Training Centers. In 
addition, the overlapping responsibilities of GOJ ministries 
result in a number of initiatives that prevent or combat 
child labor. For example, the Ministry of Social Development 
currently has a campaign focused on meeting the needs of 
child beggars to keep them off the streets. 
 
4. A copy of the MOL report &Estimating Child Labor In 
Jordan: 1991-20058 has been forwarded to DOL by diplomatic 
pouch. 
GNEHM