VZCZCXRO1219
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #0776/01 0710955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110955Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2023
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 5868
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 0098
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 0169
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0098
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 AMMAN 000776 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, G/IWI, NEA 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: INPUT FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN 
PERSONS (TIP) REPORT 
 
REF: A. STATE 2731 
     ¶B. 07 AMMAN 968 
     ¶C. AMMAN 727 
     ¶D. AMMAN 410 
     ¶E. AMMAN 261 
     ¶F. 07 AMMAN 4166 
     ¶G. 07 AMMAN 3992 
     ¶H. 07 AMMAN 3597 
     ¶I. 07 AMMAN 2757 
     ¶J. 07 AMMAN 2392 
     ¶K. 07 AMMAN 2211 
 
¶1.  (SBU) During the preceding year, the Government of Jordan 
demonstrated its commitment to combating trafficking in 
persons (TIP) and addressing forced labor concerns related to 
the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ)s.  The government 
drafted an anti-TIP law; increased the training for its labor 
inspectorate; and published regular updates on its action 
plan on labor compliance.  As occasional allegations of labor 
violations emerged, the GOJ - led by its labor ministry - 
investigated, took punitive action where necessary, and 
published its findings.  In February 2008, the GOJ launched a 
five-year Better Work Jordan program with the ILO and IFC to 
improve labor compliance. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The following information is based on responses to 
questions contained in reftel A with parenthetical references 
corresponding to reftel A paragraph and subheading. 
 
--------- 
Checklist 
--------- 
 
¶3. (U) (27/A) Jordan is a country of destination for women 
from South Asia and South East Asia, primarily Sri Lanka, 
Indonesia, and the Philippines, for the purpose of labor. 
Eastern European women also enter Jordan for illicit 
purposes, but there is no evidence of coercion, force, or 
fraud.  According to the Ministry of Labor (MoL), there were 
313,495 foreign workers registered in Jordan at the end of 
¶2007.  There are 70,000 foreign domestic workers (FDWs) 
estimated to be working in Jordan.  The MoL counts 
approximately 36,000 migrant workers with valid work permits 
working in the 97 factories of the 13 Qualifying Industrial 
Zones (QIZs). 
 
- (SBU) (27/A) The MoL estimates that there are 30,000 
Indonesian FDWs, 25,000 Sri Lankan FDWs, and 15,000 Filipino 
FDWs - estimates which are generally corroborated by their 
respective embassies, but subject to fluctuation.  In 2007, 
the Philippine Embassy received complaints of non-payment of 
wages, sexual assault and harassment, withholding of 
passports, and other forms of mistreatment from its citizens. 
 The Philippine Embassy,s Employment Center in Amman hosted 
more than 200 runaway workers in squalid conditions.  In 
January 2008, the Sri Lankan Embassy told emboff it housed 92 
runaways.  According to a UNIFEM and Friends of Women,s 
Workers study published in 2007, approximately 100 Sri Lankan 
women and 90 Filipinos run away each month, while 6 to 8 
runaways seek refuge at the Indonesian Embassy each day. 
Diplomats from these countries corroborate the study,s 
findings. 
 
- (U) (27/A) The Ministry of Labor maintains a directorate 
for foreign domestic workers.  This office's mission is to 
control and monitor all FDW issues, including licensing of 
recruiting agencies and investigating reports of abuse.  The 
directorate operates a hotline which received and resolved 
complaints throughout the year. 
 
- (SBU) (27/A) Jordan may also be a destination country for 
men from South Asia and South East Asia for the purposes of 
labor.  These men work primarily in factories within the 
QIZs, and may be subject to abuses such as unpaid wages and 
withholding of passports. 
 
- (SBU) (27/A) To a much lesser degree, Jordan may be a 
transit destination both for trafficked women from South and 
South East Asia, and for men from South and South East Asia. 
 
AMMAN 00000776  002 OF 010 
 
 
The women may transit Jordan en route to other Middle East 
countries, such as Syria, Egypt, or Iraq for the purpose of 
labor exploitation.  No Jordanians appear to be complicit in 
the trafficking of these women.  The women reportedly possess 
valid transit visas, and would only enter Jordan's airports 
due to the routing of flights from the source to the 
destination countries.  The men, on the other hand, may be 
brought to Jordan with the promise of employment within the 
country, only to be trucked overland into Iraq.  In 2005, the 
Ministry of Labor and Ministry of the Interior issued 
instructions to all border crossing authorities prohibiting 
foreign workers from transiting unless their sponsor 
accompanies them.  According to some advocates, Jordanian 
middlemen are operating as sponsors to bypass this 
instruction.  Post cannot assess the extent of this practice. 
 Please see paragraph 35 for more information on transit visa 
regulations. 
 
- (SBU) (27/A) To address what it perceives as an information 
deficit regarding potential trafficking of women FDWs, the 
regional office of UNIFEM conducted a survey of 1,200 FDWs 
and focus groups.  The results will be published in 
March/April 2008, but were not available at the time of this 
report. 
 
¶4. (SBU) (27/B) Trafficking in Jordan is almost exclusively 
for the purpose of labor exploitation, and is primarily 
limited to FDWs and factory workers in the QIZs.  A March 
2007 independent assessment of labor conditions in the QIZs 
concluded, however, that while there do not appear to be 
organized trafficking networks operating between Jordan and 
the home countries of migrant garment workers, there have 
been working conditions which could be considered human 
trafficking, especially when concerning involuntary overtime 
and excessive restrictions on movement. Workers generally 
originate from South and South East Asia.  In 2007, the 
government, led by the Ministry of Labor, acknowledged that 
trafficking was a GOJ concern, formed an inter-ministerial 
anti-TIP committee, improved its inspection regime and 
capacity, developed new means of interagency cooperation, 
participated in several trainings, and investigated several 
allegations of trafficking. 
 
- (SBU) (27/B) Exploitation of FDWs begins with the 
recruiting agencies in source countries, but continues with 
some receiving agencies in Jordan and with some Jordanian 
employers.  When exploitation takes place among QIZ workers, 
factory owners and managers in Jordan generally bear the most 
responsibility.  Both FDWs and QIZ workers sometimes find 
themselves in conditions that include: extended and forced 
working hours, unpaid wages, restrictions on freedom of 
movement including the withholding of passports and residency 
permits, and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and assault. 
Abuses related to wage and working hour issues occur with 
much greater frequency than do physical or sexual abuse. 
 
- (SBU) (27/B) The recruiting agencies (both in the source 
and receiving countries) are often the source of FDW 
troubles.  Some source country agencies exaggerate the FDW,s 
qualifications.  When she arrives in Jordan, the receiving 
agency is faced with the choice of repatriating the FDW - at 
a loss to the company - or hiring her out to Jordanian 
employers who expect a higher caliber worker.  When the 
employer complains and demands that the agency take the FDW 
back, the agency will simply find another unsuspecting 
employer.  JO, a Jordanian monthly magazine, quoted a former 
recruiting agency employer as suggesting that the agencies 
make the greatest profits by shuffling FDWs from household to 
household because they can charge each employer the full cost 
of importing the worker.  Despite June 2006 MOL regulations 
that prohibit the transfer of workers from one sponsor to 
another under any circumstances, the practice reportedly 
continues.  Other MOL regulations require employers to pay 
for work permits in advan 
ce of a worker,s arrival in Jordan, to hire FDWs for a 
minimum of two years without a trial period, and require the 
agencies to repatriate immediately any women who arrive in 
Jordan pregnant or suffering from a contagious disease. 
 
 
AMMAN 00000776  003 OF 010 
 
 
- (SBU) (27/B) Some QIZ workers alleged that owners/managers 
withheld their passports and/or delayed payment of wages. 
During the reporting period, allegations decreased 
substantially from the previous year due to more rigorous MOL 
inspection, which required violators to pay fines when 
appropriate, and publicized the outcomes of their findings in 
regular online reports.  The MoL operates 23 regional offices 
throughout the country.  An independent MOL advisor reported 
to emboffs that based on regular MOL inspections, almost all 
QIZ workers now are in possession of their passports. 
According to this same advisor, the number and severity of 
violations of workers rights and trafficking-related offenses 
decreased substantially during the reporting period. 
 
 - (SBU) (27/B) In August 2007, the MOL started regularizing 
worker registration by issuing temporary worker permits to 
more than 6,000 foreign workers in the QIZs who were out of 
status.  Previous employers often failed to file the 
appropriate documents, or the government failed to process 
the paperwork in a timely manner after transferring workers 
from closed factories, resulting in thousand of dollars in 
overstay fines.  The MOI and MOL worked together and with the 
NCHR to repatriate foreign workers who could not afford to 
pay overstay fines related to their status during the 
process, although some waited three to four months for 
waivers.  In February 2008, the Cabinet officially exempted 
the 6,000 workers from the fines and allowed them three 
months to request new work permits or depart the country. 
 
- (SBU) (27/B) In June 2007, the MOI and MOL instituted a 
system to regularize Egyptian laborers, many of whom were 
living in the country under expired residence or work 
permits.  In collaboration with the Egyptian government, the 
MOL granted more than 12,400 permits to Egyptians in a 
process facilitated by the Egyptian Embassy.  In mid-July, 
after a one-month grace period, the police arrested more than 
3,800 illegal workers (mostly Egyptian), of whom the 
government repatriated more than 1,000, releasing others on 
humanitarian grounds. 
 
 - (SBU) (27/B) In January 2008, the Philippine Overseas 
Labor Employment Agency, citing "the growing number of 
distressed Filipino workers being housed" in their center in 
Amman, temporarily suspended new Filipino workers from 
seeking employment in Jordan.  Despite the agreement to 
repatriate and waive fines in February 2008, the Philippine 
government had not agreed to lift the ban by the time of the 
writing of this report. 
 
¶5. (SBU) (27/C) Interministerial coordination on trafficking 
issues has improved over the past year.  In November 2007, 
The Ministry of Labor initiated a new interministerial 
committee which is composed of representatives of the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ministry of Industry and 
Trade (MOIT), Ministry of Interior (MOI), General 
Intelligence Directorate (GID), and Public Security 
Directorate (PSD).  This committee replaces its predecessor, 
which was chaired by the MFA (ref B).  According to GOJ 
sources, the committee has met twice since its formation. 
 
(SBU) (27/C) The GoJ does not keep readily accessible records 
of court proceedings, making it difficult to obtain 
information on prosecutions related to trafficking. 
Government sources in the labor inspectorate report nearly 
daily coordination between MOL and PSD on inspections of QIZ 
factories.  If human rights violations are alleged, then the 
government-funded National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) is 
alerted and conducts its own investigation. 
 
¶6. (SBU) (27/D) The GoJ faces severe resource constraints on 
its ability to monitor anti-trafficking efforts or to assist 
victims.  Additionally, Jordan's traditional society tends to 
promote a culture of silence and discretion with regard to 
matters of the home.  The most egregious of the abuses which 
some FDWs and QIZ workers suffer - physical and sexual 
assault - are crimes that often go unreported in Jordan (and 
in many other countries).  Factors such as language and 
cultural barriers also hamper the reporting of these crimes. 
 
 
AMMAN 00000776  004 OF 010 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) (27/E) The GOJ does not have a systematic 
methodology of monitoring and reporting on its 
anti-trafficking efforts, although the new anti-trafficking 
task force is expected to improve information sharing between 
government agencies.  The MoL and PSD closely coordinate 
inspections of QIZ factories. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) (28/A) Jordanian law prohibits trafficking in 
children.  There are also anti-slavery laws and other 
legislation that can be invoked to prosecute and punish 
trafficking and related crimes.  Any person who, for purposes 
of financial gain, bribes, encourages, or entices another to 
come to or depart Jordan can be prosecuted under the 1929 
Abolition of Slavery law.  It provides for the following 
punishments: 
 
- Kidnapping of domestic workers: minimum three years 
imprisonment; 
- Sexual exploitation of domestic workers: not less than 
three months; 
- Sexual molestation of domestic workers: not less than three 
months; 
- Attempt to force domestic workers into prostitution: not 
less than three months; and 
- Intentional or unintentional physical abuse of domestic 
workers: not less than three months. 
 
The law also provides for the punishment of employers who 
withhold passports with the intent of compelling an FDW to 
work in violation of the terms of the contract. 
 
- (U) (28/A) The MOI drafted a comprehensive anti-trafficking 
law to replace the 1929 anti-slavery law in early 2008, 
though as of this report, the draft had not been transmitted 
to Parliament.  The draft defines trafficking, establishes a 
national committee to combat trafficking in persons chaired 
by the Minister of Interior, establishes punishments for 
traffickers and those engaged in organized criminal groups 
that traffic persons for a minimum of five years imprisonment 
with fines ranging from JD 10,000 - JD 50,000 (USD 14,000 - 
USD 70,000), and would require the Prime Minister to 
establish a shelter for victims. 
 
- (SBU) (28/A) Jordanian labor law does not apply to domestic 
or agricultural workers, which exempts them from its 
protections.  FDWs, rights are bound by the contract signed 
between them and their employer.  While the contracts are 
enforceable in Jordanian courts, FDWs would have to hire 
lawyers to contest a breach of their contract (in contrast 
with violations of the labor law, which are heard as a matter 
of course and which do not require workers to retain counsel). 
 
¶9. (SBU) (28/B) There is no law that specifically addresses 
traffickers of people for sexual or labor exploitation. 
Offences of this kind would be prosecuted under the slavery 
law described in paragraph 8. 
 
¶10. (SBU) (28/C) Under the Passport Law of 2003, anyone found 
in possession of a passport not their own is subject to 
imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years, and/or fines of JD 
500-1000. 
 
- (SBU) (28/C) The Criminal Code also addresses trafficking 
as it relates to physical restraint and coercion.  It 
provides for the following punishments: 
 
- Menacing: imprisonment from 6 months to 6 years if the 
threat was to the life of the person and with a weapon, from 
1 month to 2 years if it was solely verbal and not a threat 
to life; and 
- Physical restraint, including the withholding of travel 
documents: imprisonment from 3 months to one year. 
 
- (SBU) (28/C) In June 2006, the MoL issued regulations 
regarding the recruitment of FDWs.  The provisions of the new 
 
AMMAN 00000776  005 OF 010 
 
 
regulations are: 
 
- Paying work permit fees for the worker to be recruited 
before s/he arrives; 
- The worker must be accompanied by his/her original sponsor 
as soon as the worker enters the country; 
- Employers must pay the recruiting agency 10 percent of the 
total value of the worker,s wages for the first year of the 
contract agreed upon by the sponsor and worker.  The initial 
contract must not exceed 24 months.  If both employer and 
employee agree on renewing the contract for another year, the 
agency must be paid 2 percent of the total value of the 
worker,s wages for the duration of the contract; 
- The work permit fee must be paid in advance as soon as 
approval for the worker,s recruitment is given; 
- The employer must submit a guarantee for the worker 
equaling a month,s salary for the worker to be recruited in 
order to safeguard the rights of the worker and to cover the 
cost of the return ticket to the worker,s country of origin; 
and 
- The agencies must meet certain conditions in order to be 
accredited. 
 
¶11. (SBU) (28/D) Jordanian law provides for the death penalty 
for the rape of a girl less than 15 years of age.  The 
penalty for rape of a girl or woman 15 years of age and older 
carried between three and ten years imprisonment. 
 
- (SBU) (28/D) In 2007, there were seven rape cases of 
non-Jordanians (including migrants),  eleven cases of sexual 
assault or harassment, two murders, and four cases of 
physical assault.  In June 2007 the Criminal Court sentenced 
a Jordanian to 8 years with hard labor for killing an 
Egyptian migrant with intent to steal. 
 
¶12. (SBU) (28/E) Prostitution is illegal.  All involved 
parties - prostitute, brothel owner, client, and procurer - 
are subject to prosecution for engaging in or supporting 
prostitution.  No statistics were available 
prostitution-related arrests or prosecutions made during the 
year. 
 
¶13. (SBU) (28/F) There are no statutes that specifically 
address trafficking.  Other statutes, however, cover all 
crimes that meet the definition of trafficking.  Recruitment 
agencies must front a USD 70,000 guarantee that they will 
conduct their work in accordance with the law.  In 2007, MoL 
fined 50 recruiting agencies and closed 6 for labor 
violations. 
 
- (SBU) (28/F) In 2007, the MoL,s 24-hour hotline received 
2,479 complaints and reportedly resolved 77 percent of cases. 
 The MoL hotline, manned by speakers of Hindi, Bangala, 
Sinhalese, Tagalog, and Bahasa Indonesian, received 755 
complaints during the year.  Most complaints involved poor 
dormitory conditions, non-payment or delayed payment of 
wages, mistreatment by management, or confiscation of 
passports. 
 
- (SBU) (28/F) One of the greatest challenges to prosecuting 
traffickers is that workers lack the means to or are 
discouraged from filing complaints or pressing charges - 
especially in the case of FDWs.  To address this, some 
embassies have hired lawyers to represent their citizens. 
However, court proceedings can be lengthy, and many foreign 
workers cannot afford to stay in Jordan for the duration of 
the trial. 
 
- (SBU) (28/F) In January 2008, the MOL shut down the "Cotton 
Craft" factory in Al-Tajamouat QIZ after repeated violations 
of non-payment of wages, non-payment of overtime, physical 
abuse and poor dormitory facilities (ref D).  In June 2007, 
police arrested the previous owner of Cotton Craft factory 
for unpaid fines due to labor violation that occurred in 
¶2006.  In May 2007, a court found three supervisors guilty of 
slapping six workers and fined them, marking the first time 
the judicial system found employers guilty in a case of 
physical abuse.  The MOL assisted the workers in filing this 
legal case against their supervisors. 
 
AMMAN 00000776  006 OF 010 
 
 
 
¶14. (U) (28/G) Throughout the year, government officials and 
labor inspectors were given opportunities for specialized 
training on labor inspections.  The ILO and NCHR developed 
and delivered a one-week intensive course for labor 
inspectors in June and July 2007 on labor inspections and 
human rights that included an anti-trafficking component. 
 
- (U) On March 27-28, 2007, UNIFEM in conjunction with MoL 
organized a regional workshop with the participation of 22 
countries to discuss TIP issues.  On November 5, 2007, the 
Adeleh Center for Human Rights Studies, the NCHR, the MoL, 
and recruiting agencies conducted a two day workshop for 30 
recruiting agencies to raise awareness on right of domestic 
workers.  On January 22 and 23, 2008, IOM offered a two-day 
regional workshop on victim identification (paid for by a 
State/PRM grant).  On February 17, 2008 the MoL and ILO 
conducted a workshop regarding forced labor and trafficking 
in persons. 
 
- (U) The GOJ, ILO, and IFC launched Better Work Jordan, a 
joint project, in February 2008 to improve labor compliance 
in Jordan's QIZs, provide training to factory managers and 
workers, and strengthen the existing tripartite dialogue.  An 
aspect of the dialogue component will develop procedures to 
improve efforts by the public inspectorate to combat 
instances of trafficking which are identified by the project. 
 
¶15. (SBU) (28/H) Despite MOUs with source countries, no 
formal cooperation with other governments in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases was 
reported.  Many of the exploited FDWs do not feel comfortable 
turning to Jordanian authorities, and instead report the 
abuses to their embassies.  It is not clear that the 
embassies subsequently pursued these issues on a case-by-case 
basis with the GOJ.  Relations between embassies and their 
own workers were not always ideal.  For instance, Embassy 
Amman reported (ref F) an incident in which striking Bengali 
workers accosted their consul.  GOJ officials occasionally 
raised accusation that foreign source country diplomats 
profited by brokering jobs for workers seeking refuge at 
their embassies or by owning shares in the factories 
operating in the QIZs. 
 
¶16. (SBU) (28/I) Jordan does not have an extradition treaty 
with the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, China, 
India or Bangladesh. 
 
¶17. (SBU) (28/J) No evidence exists of government involvement 
in, or tolerance of, trafficking. 
 
¶18. (U) (28/K) N/A. 
 
¶19. (SBU) (28/L) Jordan provides substantial numbers of armed 
forces and police officers to peacekeeping efforts worldwide. 
 There was no evidence that Jordanian forces were alleged to 
take part in trafficking activities during the course of 
their assignments. 
 
¶20. (U) (29/M) N/A. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Protection and Assistance to Victims 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶21. (SBU) (29/A) Technically under MOL regulations, victims 
cannot change employers.  In practice, the MOL and MOI showed 
flexibility in allowing abused workers to change employers or 
return home.  Victims who wished to return to their country 
of origin applied through either the MOL or the National 
Center for Human Rights (NCHR) for waiver of overstay fines. 
For example, in February 2008, the MOI approved a waiver of 
overstay fines for 185 runaway Filipino FDWs in response to 
an appeal from the Philippine Embassy. 
 
¶22. (SBU) (29/B) The GoJ currently does not have a shelter 
established for victims of trafficking, although the 
Jordanian Women,s Union, which runs a domestic violence 
shelter, did allow some FDWs temporary stays.  UNIFEM and the 
 
AMMAN 00000776  007 OF 010 
 
 
Government have agreed to terms outlining establishment of a 
shelter targeting abused migrant workers.  UNIFEM is now 
seeking a source of funding for the shelter, which the 
government is unable to fund at present.  Some women may be 
imprisoned if their employers allege theft or adultery. 
Others have sought shelter with their embassies.  Employers 
are required to purchase health and life insurance for 
foreign workers. 
 
¶23. (SBU) (29/C) The GoJ provides operational expenses for 
the National Centre for Human Rights, and has offered 
non-financial support to organizations such as UNIFEM and the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), both of which 
are pursuing programming to prevent trafficking and to 
support victims. 
 
¶24. (SBU) (29/D) The PSD, MOI, and MOSD do not use a formal 
mechanism to identify possible victims of trafficking. 
Representatives from the MFA, MOL, and MOI attended a two-day 
IOM training on victim-identification techniques in January 
¶2008. 
 
¶25. (U) (29/E) N/A. 
 
¶26. (SBU) (29/F) As a matter of law, victims, rights are 
respected.  The Family Protection Department (FPD) of the 
Preventive Security Department (PSD) operates professionally, 
but the same may not always be true of local police stations. 
 In cases where FDWs run away from their employers or 
approach authorities to claim abuse or protest salary 
withholdings, an employer will often accuse an FDW of theft. 
If charges are filed against an FDW, she will be arrested and 
detained.  If an FDW does not have a residency permit, she 
will be fined $2.12 for each day that she is out of status. 
In many cases, this fine accumulates into an amount that FDWs 
are incapable of paying, effectively preventing them from 
leaving Jordan.  However, in 2007, the Ministry of Interior 
frequently waived these fines in order to permit FDWs to 
return to their countries.  In 2008, GOJ waived fines and 
regularized status of both QIZ workers and FDWs. 
 
¶27. (SBU) (29/G) Potential witnesses in a court case must 
appear when summoned, though they may leave the country after 
giving their testimony.  Victims can bring civil suits 
against employers under civil law, though not under the labor 
law.  If the suit is under 3000 Jordanian Dinars ($4200 
dollars), the plaintiff does not need to retain a lawyer. 
For suits greater than $4200, the plaintiff must have a 
lawyer.  The government does not provide lawyers for victims 
to pursue civil claims. 
 
- SBU (29/G) Physical and sexual assault victims are referred 
to the Family Protection Department.  Contacts in the GoJ and 
foreign embassies report that roughly one-quarter of FDW rape 
complainants subsequently tell authorities the relations in 
question were consensual, leading to the closing of 
investigations.  Some involved with the investigations allege 
that rape victims are paid off and repatriated or that that 
PSD translators dissuade workers from formally lodging claims 
of sexual assault.  The complainants are reportedly warned 
that their employer - if acquitted - could file a countersuit 
alleging defamation and resulting in their imprisonment. 
Recruiting agencies often play a role in facilitating 
settlements that may lead to compensation and resettlement. 
 
¶28. (SBU) (29/H) The government does not maintain shelters 
for victims of trafficking or witnesses.  The government may 
put sexual assault victims in protective custody in 
correctional facilities.  Source country embassies told 
emboffs that employers often report runaways to the PSD, 
which may result in the issuance of a deportation order. 
Workers who are unable to pay their overstay fines may be 
imprisoned until their fines are paid or arrangements are 
made for repatriation.  For example, the Indonesian embassy 
reported that 26 of its workers were in Juweideh Correctional 
facility in late February 2008. 
 
¶29. (SBU) (29/I) The Family Protection Department is the only 
government facility that handles the crimes associated with 
 
AMMAN 00000776  008 OF 010 
 
 
Jordan's trafficking problems, and as mentioned above, they 
are highly trained.  Anti-trafficking training is a part of 
the police academy,s law enforcement curriculum.  Several 
GOJ officials attended the annual USG-sponsored Trafficking 
in Persons IV program in 2007: Lt. Colonel Muhammad Azzam, 
Adviser to the Director of Residency and Borders Department, 
PSD; Major Maen Khasawneh, Chief of Immigration, Jaber border 
crossing, PSD; Major Ahmad Qtaishat, Immigration Officer, 
Queen Alia International Airport, PSD; and Major Nashat 
Ma,asfeh, Chief of Sources and Crime Information Unit, PSD. 
In June 2008, two additional individuals will participate in 
the USG-funded IV program: Dr. Amin Wreidat, Head of the 
MOL,s Labor Inspectorate Division, and Atef Majali from the 
National Center on Human Rights.  The Ministry of Labor 
receives regular training from IOM on a breadth of labor 
issues, including ILO standards that cover trafficking. 
 
¶30. (SBU) (29/J) Not applicable.  There were no reports of 
Jordanians trafficked. 
 
¶31. (SBU) (29/K) UNIFEM works closely with the GOJ and with 
local NGOs on women,s rights issues, specifically FDWs. 
UNIFEM guided the process to standardize the FDW work 
contract and to produce the FDW guidebook.  UNIFEM is also 
currently seeking funding to create a shelter for FDWs who 
run away from their employers.  "Friends of Women Workers," a 
local NGO, conducted a 2006 study on runaway FDWs that was 
published in 2007.  IOM's Jordan office is engaged in weekly 
training seminars at the Ministry of Labor.  IOM continues to 
raise funds to repatriate FDWs stranded in Jordan due to an 
inability to pay their overstay fines.  The GoJ waives the 
fines if IOM can fund the travel. 
 
- (SBU) (29/K) The NGO LevelWorks, in conjunction with the 
GoJ and USAID, conducted a 3-month assessment of the QIZ 
factories, following allegations of human rights violations 
and trafficking.  The LevelWorks report released in March 
2007 indicated that there do not appear to be vast organized 
trafficking networks operating between Jordan and home 
countries of migrant garment workers.  However, there do 
appear to be working conditions which can be considered human 
trafficking, especially when concerning involuntary overtime 
and excessive restrictions on movement. 
 
---------- 
Prevention 
---------- 
 
¶32. (SBU) (30/A) The GoJ acknowledges that trafficking is a 
problem.  The GoJ also contends that source countries and 
their embassies share responsibility for the problem. 
 
¶33. (SBU) (30/B) The Ministry of Labor, in collaboration with 
UNIFEM and the Adaleh Center for Human Rights, launched a 
media campaign to increase awareness of trafficking in 2007. 
Exclusively directed towards FDWs, the campaign featured ads 
on billboards, in the press and on the radio.  With the help 
of UNIFEM, the government also produces a booklet for 
distribution to all FDWs explaining their rights and given to 
FDWs either before arriving to Jordan or upon arrival.  This 
booklet is printed in Sinhala, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, 
English and Arabic.  There have not been government-sponsored 
anti-trafficking or education campaigns relating to QIZ 
workers, though at least one union, supported by the 
Solidarity Center, distributed pamphlets outlining workers 
rights under Jordanian labor law. 
 
¶34. (SBU) (30/C) The relationship between government 
officials, NGOs, and other elements of civil society on 
trafficking is generally positive and productive.  Some NGOs 
remain skeptical that the GoJ is capable of solving the 
problems that have been identified.  While ministers and 
other senior level officials express their commitment to 
combating trafficking, some NGOs believe that most GoJ 
working-level officials remain indifferent to the issue. 
Conversely, and fueled by numerous (and often unverified) NLC 
reports, the GoJ believes that some NGOs overstate the 
problem.  Cooperation between the GoJ, NGOs, and civil 
society is best evidenced through workshops that raise 
 
AMMAN 00000776  009 OF 010 
 
 
awareness, build consensus and develop capacity to work on 
the trafficking problem jointly. 
 
- (SBU) (30/C) The GoJ is also pursuing several initiatives 
to offer better support and greater transparency for the 
foreign worker community.  It has signed memorandums of 
understanding with Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, and the 
Philippines to streamline the process by which workers gain 
employment in Jordan and are guaranteed their rights.  The 
GoJ has endorsed a standard FDW contract that must be signed 
by the recruiting agency, the employer, and the employee.  As 
discussed in paragraph 33, the GoJ publishes a guidebook that 
the recruiting agencies are required to distribute to all 
FDWs upon their arrival in Jordan.  The booklets enumerate 
the worker's rights and offer hotline numbers that workers 
can call in the event of abuse.  Additionally, in May 2006 
the GoJ established an inter-agency office that is solely 
dedicated to FDW issues, from checking residency and work 
permits, to arbitrating salary disputes, to receiving 
complaints of abuse. 
 
- (SBU) (30/C) In September 2006, the GoJ signed an MOU with 
the International Labor Organization (ILO) to adopt the 
Decent Work Pilot Program (DWPP).  The DWPP is designed to 
help implement international labor standards, improve 
production capacity and work environments, support 
development, and protect workers, rights. 
 
- (SBU) (30/C) Since 2003, the GoJ and the ILO have worked 
together on a Social Dialogue project funded by the U.S. 
Department of Labor.  One of the outcomes of this project is 
an ILO program to train labor inspectors.  The GoJ also 
worked with the NGO "LevelWorks" to conduct an assessment of 
the human rights and trafficking situation in the QIZs. 
Additionally, the GoJ placed locked suggestion boxes in all 
factories where workers could submit complaints anonymously. 
A representative from the Ministry of Labor has the only key 
to the boxes. 
 
¶35. (SBU) (30/D) The GoJ controls and monitors immigration 
patterns, though more for security purposes than as an 
explicit anti-trafficking effort.  The GoJ has identified 
training of the police and other security personnel who serve 
as border inspectors as an area of assistance it is 
interested in pursuing, and in 2007, the PSD Adviser to the 
Director of Residency and Borders Department, the Chief of 
Immigration at Jaber border crossing, an Immigration Officer 
at Queen Alia International Airport, and the PSD Chief of 
Sources and Crime Information Unit attended the annual TIP 
International Visitor program. 
 
- (SBU) (30/D) The GoJ requires that nationals of most 
migrant worker source countries may enter Jordan only after 
approval from the Ministry of the Interior (MoI).  Jordanian 
embassies in those countries also do not issue visas without 
MoI approval, and each case is individually evaluated. 
Nationals of these countries cannot obtain transit visas for 
Jordan unless they possess a visa for the destination 
country.  Even then, they may not enter Jordan for the 
purpose of transiting to neighboring countries.  Tourist 
visas for groups of nationals of restricted countries are not 
issued except through accredited Jordanian tourist offices. 
All foreigners coming to work in Jordan need prior approval 
from the Ministry of Labor, and receive that approval only 
after the work permit is paid by the sponsoring employer. 
 
¶36. (SBU) (30/E) The Secretary General for the Ministry of 
Labor chairs the government,s interagency task force to 
combat trafficking in persons.  The committee is composed of 
two representatives from each ministry or organization (one 
policy level advisor and one working level staff member) to 
meet the GOJ,s objective of operationalizing its anti-TIP 
policy. 
 
¶37. (SBU) (30/F) No national plan of action to address 
trafficking exists as a unified, comprehensive document, 
though several initiatives on different fronts are all 
underway, as explained above.  In conjunction with the ILO, 
AFL-CIO Solidarity Center and General Federation of Jordanian 
 
AMMAN 00000776  010 OF 010 
 
 
Trade Unions, the MoL also proposed new changes to the labor 
law that would include FDWs and allow all foreign workers to 
join unions. 
 
¶38. (SBU) (30/G): Very little information exists about the 
prevalence of commercial sex in this conservative society. 
No public efforts to reduce demand have been made. 
 
¶39. (SBU) (30/H) N/A. 
 
¶40. (SBU) (30/I) The Jordanian Public Security Directorate, 
which provides thousands of officers each year to participate 
in UN peacekeeping missions, provides an anti-trafficking 
training module as part of their standard training regimen. 
 
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TIP Heroes 
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¶41.  (U) Ms. Khawla Al Hassan, Consultant to the Minister of 
Labor on QIZ issues.  She is an employee who has dedicated 
her time and effort to combat this problem in Jordan.  She 
devotes significant personal time to receive complaints from 
abused migrant workers and often assists by paying out of her 
own pocket to feed and clothe victims of trafficking.  She is 
an active member of the MOL Anti-Trafficking Committee and a 
good working-level contact of Post. 
 
¶42. (U) Embassy point of contact on trafficking in persons is 
Political Officer Chris Hattayer, phone number 
 962-6-590-6597, fax number 962-6-592-0159.  The DCM (FE-OC) 
spent approximately 0.5 hours reviewing the report; Political 
Counselor (FS-01) spent 2 hours reviewing and editing the 
report; Economic Officer (FS-03) spent 2 hours editing the 
report; USAID officer (FS-04) spent 2 hours editing the 
report.  Political Officer (FS-04) spent 38 hours preparing 
the report, and LES Political Analyst spent 18 hours 
preparing the report. 
HALE