US embassy cable - 05AMMAN1702

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001702 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, AND NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM, PHUM, KWMN, SMIG, KFRD, ASEC, PREF, ELAB, JO 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY AMMAN'S 2005 TIP REPORT 
 
REF: 04 STATE 273089 
 
 1. (U) Embassy Amman's contribution below to the annual 
Trafficking in Persons report is keyed to the instructions 
found in reftel. 
 
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Checklist 
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2. (SBU) A. Based on the information available to post, 
Jordan is not a country of origin or transit for trafficked 
men, women, or children. An element of fraud may be involved 
in employing and bringing some foreign domestic workers 
(FDWs) to Jordan. In addition, some FDWs end up in abusive 
situations, but neither the GOJ nor the Embassy can establish 
a causal link between possible fraud in recruitment and 
eventual abusive working conditions. 
 
3. (SBU) Sources of information for this report include the 
Foreign, Labor, Justice and Interior Ministries, NGOs, other 
embassies, and independent analysts. GOJ sources are 
generally reliable, but their numbers tend to have 
inaccuracies as they do not have the funding/capacity to 
count all foreign workers. The NGOs and independent analysts 
contacted for this report are reliable but only have 
estimates regarding the number of foreign workers in Amman. 
 
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Prevention 
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4. (SBU) B,E,G The Interior and Labor Ministries are most 
directly involved in activities affecting trafficking. The 
Public Security Directorate (PSD), under the Interior 
Ministry, actively controls the borders with both entry and 
exit controls, and the military assists by monitoring the 
borders between ports of entry. The PSD also investigates 
crimes including physical abuse and immigration violations; 
the Interior Ministry issues residence permits to foreigners 
already present in the country. As of 2003, the Labor 
Ministry regulates the recruiting and employment conditions 
of FDWs. The government has not formally assigned 
anti-trafficking duties to a specific body, nor does it have 
a national action plan, and it is limited financially in its 
ability to carry out trafficking-related programs. The 
government does have active public corruption task forces 
involving several law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies. 
 
C. UNIFEM's ongoing national program for Jordan includes 
plans to publicize the poor work and living conditions of 
some FDWs and the government has been supportive of the 
program. The Ministry of Labor is currently working in 
cooperation with UNIFEM to issue a pamphlet that will 
highlight the rules and regulations pertaining to foreign 
workers in Jordan. The pamphlet will explain the rights and 
obligations of foreign workers under Jordanian labor law and 
cite relevant legislation. The plan is to raise the awareness 
of both employees and employers of the legall protections 
afforded foreign workers. 
 
D. The King and the current government have continued to make 
the empowerment of Jordanian women, politically and 
economically, a top priority. Queen Rania remains a strong 
advocate for women's and children's rights. The government 
has a number of programs that could be defined as combating 
trafficking in women and children. For example, the Ministry 
of Social Development (MSD) has a program to rehabilitate 
street children. The Ministry of Labor conducts vocational 
training programs for young rural women. The PSD, MSD and 
Ministry of Education have cooperative programs that provide 
mentoring and vocational training for at-risk youth. However, 
we have no evidence of trafficking of Jordanians. 
 
F. A government steering committee that monitors and 
evaluates the conditions of FDWs in Jordan continues to meet. 
Membership includes government agencies, UNIFEM, NGOs, and 
FDW source country embassies. Committee members have an 
active and cooperative working relationship. UNIFEM considers 
its program for migrant workers in Jordan, including GOJ 
participation and the GOJ-endorsed standard FDW contract, a 
model for the region. Trafficking is not commonly discussed 
in civil society and is not a widespread concern. 
 
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Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers 
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5. (SBU) A. A 1926 law specifically bans trafficking in 
children. The 1929 slavery nullification law makes it a crime 
to force or entice a person to come to or depart Jordan to be 
traded, purchased, or sold. Traffickers can also be 
prosecuted under the penal code of 1953, which bans all forms 
of slavery. Penal law 16 of 1960 criminalized extramarital 
intercourse (including prostitution), providing for 
punishments ranging from 5 years imprisonment to execution, 
depending on the age of the victim and the relation of the 
accused to the victim. Under Penal Code articles 333 and 334, 
physical harm that causes a victim to miss work is punishable 
by imprisonment of three months to three years and/or small 
fines, with punishments of up to ten years for causing a 
permanent disability or inducing an abortion. 
 
B, C. The penalty for indecent assault, without force, is 
punishable by a minimum of 5 years imprisonment if the victim 
is less than 12 years of age (Penal Code Art. 298), with 
greater punishments for use of force (Penal Code Articles 
296-299). Inducing a woman to extramarital sexual relations 
is punishable by a minimum of 3 months imprisonment (Penal 
Code Art. 304). Labor exploitation is subject to legal bans 
on bonded labor and slavery as described above. The penalties 
for rape range from 5 years imprisonment, if the victim is 
over 15 years of age, to execution, if the victim is under 15 
or in cases of incest. 
 
L. Jordan does not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem. 
 
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Protection and Assistance to Victims 
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6. (SBU) B. The interagency Family Protection Department 
(FPD), coordinated by the PSD, states that it offers the 
following assistance to all victims of abuse, including FDWs, 
regardless of citizenship or socio-economic status: 
translation/interpretation services, interviews conducted by 
a female police officer in a private room, medical exams 
conducted by forensic doctors at FPD facilities as opposed to 
public hospitals, provision of clothing and "secure resort" 
until investigation is complete, consular notification, and 
access to counseling. In practice, shelter and legal 
assistance are also provided by the respective embassy and/or 
friends. Immigration assistance, e.g. temporary relief from 
deportation or waiving of overstay fines, may be provided on 
an ad hoc basis, but all overstayers are subject to fines, 
regardless of reason. Jordan has begun to develop shelter and 
other support services to women and child victims of abuse, 
including Jordanian citizens. The FPD coordinates closely 
with a small number of domestic NGOs to help abuse victims 
access the limited services available. 
 
G. The government does not provide training on how to assist 
victims of trafficking. However, the FPD and NGOs have raised 
the profile of abuse within Jordanian society. The FPD has 
become increasingly adept at assisting victims of abuse and 
staff members have been trained in the special needs of these 
victims. 
 
7. (U) Embassy point of contact on trafficking is political 
officer Keith Heffern. Office phone number is 962-6-590-6597, 
fax 962-6-592-0159, e-mail HeffernKL@state.gov. 
 
8. (U) Time spent preparing this report: FSN9 10 hours, FS03 
Poloff 50 hours, FS02 Poloff 1 hour, FS01 Poloff 1 hour. 
HALE