CHILD LABOR INFORMATION UPDATE: JORDAN

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