[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

JORDAN (Tier 2) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Jordan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.  The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Jordan remained on Tier 2.  These efforts included increasing convictions and applying adequate prison terms to convicted traffickers, identifying more victims and potential victims, providing shelter and assistance to more victims, and approving shelter bylaws to improve access to services for potential victims identified outside of law enforcement actions.  However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas.  Jordan’s visa sponsorship system, which placed a significant amount of power in the hands of employers of foreign workers, continued to create vulnerabilities for the exploitation of migrant workers and remained a significant impediment to authorities identifying and protecting trafficking victims.  Authorities continued to penalize victims of trafficking for immigration offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked.  Shelter and services outside of Amman remained insufficient.

Prioritized Recommendations

Reform the visa sponsorship system by enforcing labor law protections for all workers in Jordan, including domestic workers, and allow workers to freely change employers.

Enact other preventative measures to protect migrant domestic workers including ensuring contracts are in a language the worker understands, establishing arrival orientation trainings for migrant workers, and ensuring bilateral labor MOUs are comprehensive and include pre-departure trainings.

Increase efforts to proactively screen for and identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as detained foreign migrants, domestic workers, workers in the agricultural sector, refugees, children who experienced homelessness or used the streets as a source of livelihood, and persons in commercial sex.

Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such as immigration or prostitution violations or leaving an abusive employer.

Continue allocating adequate funding for operation of the government’s trafficking shelter, train shelter staff to identify and provide specialized care to victims, and provide financial or in-kind support to NGO partners providing shelter and services to victims.

Continue increasing efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict sex trafficking and labor trafficking crimes; and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

Continue to train law enforcement officers, judges, prison officials, and labor inspectors throughout the country to screen for, identify, and refer to protection services trafficking victims, including among vulnerable populations such as foreign workers and refugees.

Regulate and investigate fraudulent labor and recruitment practices and permanently blacklist employers and recruitment agencies violating workers’ rights.

Increase survivor input when forming policies, programs, and trainings.

Investigate and punish individuals for withholding workers’ passports under Jordan’s passport law.