DEMARCHE ON THE STATUS OF THREE INSTRUMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 002997 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2013 TAGS: PHUM JO SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON THE STATUS OF THREE INSTRUMENTS RELATED TO THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN REF: A. REFTEL A: STATE 126276 ¶B. REFTEL B: AMMAN 1357 Classified By: DCM GREGORY L. BERRY FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Per reftel a, on April 19 A/PolCouns and POLOFF delivered message to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MFA Legal Adviser Samer Naber and Human Rights Officer Bisher Khasawneh provided the following information: a. The GOJ is a party to ILO Convention 182 (reftel B). b. On the Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, Naber said that Jordan has laws banning child slavery dating to 1927, and stiff penalties for crimes involving child prostitution or pornography (reftel b). Jordan is a signatory to the sexual exploitation protocol, but has yet to join. He expressed confidence that the GOJ is &moving toward8 joining the protocol. c. On the Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict, Naber said the GOJ &in practice8 does not violate the terms of the protocol, i.e. it is not currently engaging in forced conscription of minors. However, the current law does allow for the GOJ to draft males 16 and above, in extreme circumstances. Jordan is not a party to the Protocol. ¶2. (SBU) We urged the GOJ to join the two Protocols. Naber and Khasawneh took the point, and said they would pass the message forward within the GOJ. GNEHM