Khaberni - The Child Labor Reduction Inspection Department at the Ministry of Labor handled 149 child labor cases, including 6 girls, during the first nine months of this year. Studies estimate that child labor cases have risen to 100,000 currently, compared to 76,000 in 2016.
The detected cases were distributed by nationality, with 75 Jordanian children, 61 Syrians, one Egyptian, and the rest from other nationalities.
Meanwhile, the number of inspection visits for child labor conducted by the Ministry during the first nine months of this year was 5,956 visits, involving campaigns, routine visits, or based on complaints or notifications.
The number of warnings issued to employers was 37, while the number of violations reached 80.
The ministry received 25 notifications about child labor, and there were no cases of working children transferred based on the protocol of no tolerance with the Better Work Department.
There were 87 complaints about child labor to the inspection directorates and departments, and 78 complaints about child labor were settled with employers, ensuring labor rights, while currently, there are no complaints under processing.
It is notable that the latest results of the national survey on child labor in Jordan for the year 2016 revealed that 1.89% of children aged (5–17) are working, with male children accounting for 3.24% and females only 0.45%, thus matching the overall percentage of working children from the study conducted in 2007.
In turn, the Worker's House center in its study confirmed that the number of working children in Jordan is alarmingly increasing, noting that the latest official figures date back to 2016, when their number was about 76,000 children, 45,000 of whom were working in hazardous jobs, and estimates indicate that the number has now exceeded 100,000 children, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic which increased the rate by about 25%.
The study pointed out that continued poverty, unemployment, and the expansion of the informal labor market compel families to employ their children, especially with about 418,000 unemployed and nearly 2.5 million citizens dependent on these unemployed.
It stated that the most prominent sectors where children work are agriculture at 32%, commerce 28%, industry 11%, and construction 9%, confirming that most of these jobs are hazardous to children, with 82% of them starting work before the age of 16, and 45% working more than 36 hours weekly, with most earning only around 5 Jordanian Dinars per day.
