Child labour

Moving towards a Child Labour Free Jordan Project

Summary


According to the most recent estimates, 1.6 per cent of children in Jordan aged between 5 and 17 are child labourers. The recent influx of refugees from Syria has exacerbated both the magnitude and the complexity of child labour in Jordan. In response, this ILO project aims to address the problem by strengthening Jordan's child labour policy and legislative frameworks and building the capacity of key stakeholders to combat child labour.

In 2011, Jordan adopted the National Framework to Combat Child Labour (NFCL), a comprehensive policy on child labour which aims to tackle the issue throughout the country through systematic monitoring of child labour and collective action by key stakeholders—particularly in the ministries of labour, education and social development. Accordingly, the first phase of this project saw the NFCL pilot tested in six governorates between and has now entered its extended phase that runs until 2016. During this time, the project aims to rollout of the NFCL in five additional governorates, conduct a national survey on child labour, raise awareness as well as strengthen coordination and monitoring mechanisms, specifically with regard to Syrian refugee child labourers.

Objectives

  • Support national partners to improve overall coordination as well as reinforce integration and coherence between the monitoring systems of various stakeholders;
  • support further research into aspects and trends in child labour to inform policy decisions and guide direct action;
  • support the enhancement and capacity of ILO constituents to implement the NFCL; and
  • support the mainstreaming of child labour elimination as well as the promotion of issues concerning youth employment into national development policy frameworks.

Main Activities

Outcomes Achieved (2012-2015)

  • A national committee is in place that acts as a sustainable coordination mechanism to implement the NFCL and mobilise national and international partners to tackle child labour as part of a broader and more coherent child protection framework;
  • a web-based database on child labour housed in the Ministry of Labour has been designed and is operational;
  • the NFCL has been operationalized in six out of 12 governorates in Jordan;
  • a model to implement the NFCL at field level has been pilot tested;
  • the information management capacity and infrastructure of key stakeholders have been improved in order to more effectively monitor and address child labour at the governorate and district levels; and
  • a research project has been carried out on child labour in the auto-repair sector in collaboration with the ILO’s initiative on youth employment and apprenticeships in Jordan.

Main Outcomes

Extended Phase (2015-2016)

  • The National Framework for Child Labour is implemented in an additional five governorates;
  • a National Child Labour Survey is conducted and the knowledge base on worst forms of child labour is enhanced;
  • the new Child Labour Unit at the Ministry of Social Affairs is strengthened and operational;
  • linkages between child labour and youth employment are strengthened and 100 youth are supported through the replication of a successful informal apprenticeship pilot project;
  • an assessment of the NFCL’s impact is conducted to disseminate results and lessons learned;
  • the role of local government authorities is strengthened to create awareness as well as monitor and preventing child labour;
  • coordination mechanisms for child labour are established with a particular focus on Syrian refugee communities;
  • the development of a child labour monitoring framework and referral system is supported through the implementation of the NFCL;
  • the capacity of key partners on child labour monitoring is enhanced;
  • child labour questions are incorporated into the Department of Statistics Labour Force Survey;
  • relevant research and surveys on child labour are carried out in collaboration with other stakeholders;
  • the capacity of the Child Labour Unit and the relevant departments of the ministries of social development and education are enhanced;
  • the capacity of social partners to tackle child labour is enhanced;
  • the capacity of local government and national partners to raise awareness of child labour is enhanced.
  • the revised hazardous child labour list is reviewed and guiding manuals for inspectors and employers are developed; and
  • child labour issues are mainstreamed into national development policy frameworks and UN frameworks including the UN Development Assistance Framework for Jordan.