Khaberni - The Ministry of Labor is currently working on preparing a new electronic monitoring system to observe cases of child labor in the Kingdom, linking the Ministry and the Management of Family and Juvenile Protection in the Directorate of Public Security, in addition to the Ministry of Social Development, based on the provisions of Juvenile Protection System for the year 2024.
The Ministry of Social Development noted that work is ongoing to develop an electronic system in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Directorate of Public Security/Family and Juvenile Protection Management. This aims to institutionalize a methodological pathway for managing the cases of child workers electronically, according to Al Ghad.
The Ministry said that the new electronic system will involve receiving reports about child workers from the Ministry of Labor to apply the case management methodology electronically through the development of the information management system belonging to the Ministry of Social Development, noting that the system is still under preparation to date.
The Ministry adopted a reporting model for working children in collaboration with partners, according to Article (5) of the Juvenile Protection System number 36 for the year 2024.
The mentioned article obliges concerned institutions to deal with cases of working or begging juveniles, to adopt internal procedures for their employees that organize the mechanism of reporting discovered cases to the Juveniles' Police or the nearest security center according to the adopted reporting model, and to identify the cases by any means possible.
In this context, the Ministry of Social Development said that it has worked on enhancing the capabilities of its relevant employees in the methodology of managing cases related to children in work situations and case management techniques.
Mechanism of the New System
For her part, Haifa Darwish, Head of the Child Labor Reduction Department at the Ministry of Labor, explained the working mechanism of the system currently being worked on, emphasizing that it specializes in reports.
Darwish clarified that the electronic linking project between the Ministries of Labor and Social Development, and the Directorate of Public Security comes within the framework of developing mechanisms for dealing with child labor cases, enhancing response speed, and coordinating among concerned entities.
Darwish pointed out that the legislative foundation of this linking relies on the Juvenile Protection System number (36) for the year 2024, which obligates related entities, including labor inspectors, to report any discovered cases of child labor to the Directorate of Public Security/Family and Juvenile Protection Management.
She mentioned that this obligation was in principle already established, but the application mechanisms needed development to be more effective and quicker.
Darwish added that the "reporting mechanism," which was in effect before the issuance of the new Juvenile Protection System, is the childlabor.mol.gov.jo system that connects the Ministries of Labor, Social Development, Education and Training to report cases, noting that this system had always needed development on the part of the Ministry of Social Development as it did not meet their needs, especially concerning case management and authority and linking with other entities, where the Ministry of Labor would report to the Ministry of Social Development through lists about juveniles in work situations by virtue of the judicial police authority of the labor inspector.
Introduction of Inspection System
In context, Darwish said that as soon as the new Juvenile Protection System was issued, the Ministry of Labor addressed the Ministry of Social Development to introduce an electronic inspection system as a unified platform and to start preparing it as soon as funding for the new system was available.
Regarding the Directorate of Public Security, Darwish pointed out that electronic linking with it had limitations and it was not possible to involve it with other entities through the existing system; therefore, childlabor.mol.gov.jo will be discontinued through the new system once it is ready and fully activated.
Concerning the technical working mechanism of the new system, Darwish said: "Reports received by the Directorate of Public Security will initially be entered through its various channels, including the emergency number (911), within a dedicated screen on the new system of the Ministry of Labor," highlighting the importance of this step in enabling labor inspectors to quickly access the child's workplace, the most crucial element for field verification.
She explained that the reports are automatically forwarded to the geographically competent inspection directorates, where a labor inspector conducts a field visit to verify, and if the presence of a working child is confirmed, legal actions are taken against the employer in accordance with existing legislation, focusing on protecting the labor rights of the child.
Darwish added: "With the new system we are working on, the reports will reach us from the Public Security, meaning that the process will become the reverse for reports as opposed to the Directorate of Public Security now entering these reports onto the system and reaching us as the Ministry of Labor, and we carry out the verification."
Continuous Inspection
Darwish emphasized that this electronic linking does not cancel the current reporting channels but will operate alongside them during the transition phase, including the child labor complaint system and its dedicated email, with reporting channels eventually being unified within the new system.
She affirmed that the periodic inspection rounds by the Ministry of Labor will continue as they are, forming an essential pathway in discovering child labor cases, noting that a percentage of inspection plans are dedicated for this purpose.
She mentioned that the new system will contribute to expanding the circle of case discovery and reducing gaps, calling for role integration among governmental bodies, the community, and the media, since reporting child labor cases has become mandatory by legislation, and is considered a collective responsibility to protect children and ensure their rights.
Report "National Committee for Family Affairs"
In a related context, the 2026 report on the state of child rights issued by the National Committee for Enforcement of Child Rights Law of 2022 working under the National Council for Family Affairs, disclosed what it called "a noticeable discrepancy in institutional response levels" both in terms of providing services to children in work situations and in training technical staff.
The report marked the year 2023 as a base year for measuring enforcement indicators related to protecting children from economic exploitation and child labor, as well as the years 2024 and 2025.
According to the report, 665 children received psychological and social services and interventions in the year 2023, compared to 522 children in 2024, and 759 children received these services in 2025, from the Ministry of Social Development.
Regarding the number of inspectors in the Ministry of Labor, the report showed 44 inspectors in 2023, compared to 62 inspectors in 2024, and 63 inspectors in 2025.
As for the competency of the Directorate of Public Security, the report revealed 114 workers in the public security apparatus trained in detecting forms of human trafficking or exploitation, compared to 126 workers in 2024, and 209 trained workers in 2025.
The report analyzed the figures, noting that the increase in the number of children who received services and interventions last year might indicate an expansion in the phenomenon of child labor or, at the same time, an improvement in "detection and monitoring mechanisms by concerned entities, led by the Ministry of Social Development."
Limited Improvement
Regarding institutional capacity building, the report pointed to a gradual improvement in the number of labor inspectors trained in detecting forms of human trafficking or exploitation, yet, despite this improvement, "the pace of increase remains relatively limited," noting that monitoring showed a lack of a clear "target value" across the three levels (children, inspectors, and public security workers), compared to the size of the job market and the prevalence of "child labor."
Overall, the report affirmed the existence of "growing efforts in training and capacity building;" however, this is countered by the numbers related to children, reflecting a gap between prevention measures and response on one hand, and the social and economic reality that drives children into the labor market on the other.
The National Committee for Enforcement of Child Rights Law recommended enhancing inspection and monitoring and developing economic and social support programs for poor and marginalized families to reduce the root causes driving children into work, as well as enhancing coordination mechanisms between the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Social Development, and the Directorate of Public Security to ensure an integrated and effective response to child labor cases.
