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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King

Abdullah II bin Hussein, with a population of six million. The constitution

concentrates executive and legislative authority in the king. The multiparty

parliament consists of the 55-member House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan),

appointed by the king, and a 120-member elected lower house, the Chamber of

Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwwab). Parliamentary elections, which international

observers deemed credible, were held on November 9 after the king dissolved

reported cases of arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, poor prison conditions,

impunity, arbitrary arrest and denial of due process through administrative

detention, prolonged detention, and external interference in judicial decisions.

Citizens continued to describe infringements on their privacy rights. Restrictive

legislation and regulations limited freedoms of speech and press, and government

interference in the media and threats of fines and detention further encouraged self-

censorship, according to journalists and human rights organizations. The

government also continued to restrict freedoms of assembly and association. Legal

and societal discrimination and harassment remained a problem for women,

religious minorities, converts from Islam, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual,

Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From:

a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life

There were no reports during the year that the government or its agents committed

unlawful killings.

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custody at the Al Hussein Police Station. Saoud's family said Public Security

Directorate (PSD) officers caused Saoud's injuries when they hit him on the head

with a gun. At year's end, felony cases against six PSD officers remained pending.

Also in November 2009 Fakhri Kreishan died of injuries sustained during an

altercation with police two days earlier in the southern city of Ma'an. A police

officer reportedly hit him on the head with a baton. At year’s end, the felony case

against the officer was pending.

The law prohibits such practices; however, international NGOs continued to report

incidences of torture and widespread mistreatment in police and security detention

centers. Article 208 of the penal code prohibits torture by public officials,

including psychological harm, and provides penalties of as long as three years'

imprisonment for the use of torture, with an increased penalty of up to 15 years if

serious injury occurs. Human rights lawyers found the law ambiguous and

supported amendments to better define "torture" and strengthen sentencing

guidelines. The government has not charged an individual under article 208.

International and domestic organizations stated that security forces continued to

practice torture, particularly in police stations; however, observers commented that

allegations of torture in prisons decreased during the year. On May 14, as part of

its periodic review process, the UN Committee against Torture expressed "deep

concern" at "the numerous, consistent, and credible allegations of a widespread and

routine practice of torture and ill-treatment of detainees in detention facilities and

that such allegations were seldom investigated or prosecuted." A August 30

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centers cited 33 complaints of mistreatment in detention centers and three

complaints from prison inmates between January 1 and June 30. The NCHR report

also commented on individual violations perpetrated by law enforcement staff in

some police stations and observed that several forms of torture were practiced

against the defendants and detainees. A report issued in January by the

international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) also noted that torture continued

to be practiced in the country's prisons and police stations. HRW claimed that the

reform program does not address accountability for abuses and that initiatives by

the NCHR and other groups were "far from sufficient considering the lack of both

operation, hung him by the wrists to the back of a door, and pierced one wrist with

a drill. The PSD spokesperson claimed that Talafha inflicted the wounds himself.

According to his lawyer, on March 2, he had emergency surgery to repair his hand.

The general prosecutor dropped the charges against Talafha on November 13, but

he remained in administrative detention on the Maffraq governor's order. Talafha

was released from administrative detention on December 2.

In 2008 the director of the Sahab Police Station, a police officer of the Criminal

Investigations Department, and the director of public security allegedly tortured

and mistreated an individual known only as Raad. On March 22, Raad reportedly

together with the directors of North Marka Security Center and the director of

public security, allegedly beat and insulted an individual known only as Dawood.

On March 10, Dawood filed a civil case for psychological, physical and moral

damages resulting from torture and cruel and degrading treatment. Both cases were

pending at year's end.

Prison and Detention Center Conditions

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understaffing, inadequate food and health care, poor sanitation standards, poor

ventilation, extreme temperatures, inadequate access to potable water, ineffective

prerelease and postrelease programs, and insufficient basic and emergency medical

care. Some detainees reported abuse and mistreatment by guards during the year.

Hunger strikes remained common, but prison riots and allegations of mistreatment

reportedly decreased. Prisoners filed complaints of poor prison conditions with the

PSD and the NCHR. The construction of four prisons during the year alleviated

overcrowding to some extent.

centers. In 2009 former and current residents and parents of children in several

ministry-operated juvenile rehabilitation centers and orphanages reported verbal

and physical abuse of children by supervisors. For example, parents of children in

an Irbid juvenile center and former residents of an orphanage in Madaba reported

physical abuse of children. At year's end, the government investigation remained

pending.

In November 2009 the Council of Ministers passed amendments placing stiffer

disciplinary measures, including salary deductions and termination, on civil

servants who used corporal punishment on children, including those in schools and

the type of crime, number of offenses, and other factors. The NCHR reported 205

prison strikes from January 1 to August 1.

In February 2009 the Institute of Forensic Medicine, a part of the Ministry of

Health, issued a report stating that prison clinic conditions were unsuitable and

deteriorating and that inmates did not have access to basic health services. The

report also criticized the lack of psychiatric treatment and follow-up care.

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correctional and rehabilitation center (CRC) facilities. The government generally

held men, women, and juveniles in separate prisons and detention facilities;

however, pretrial detainees were often held in the same detention facilities as

convicted prisoners. The General Intelligence Directorate (GID) held some persons

detained on national security charges in separate detention facilities. According to

the NCHR, GID detainees are generally held in solitary confinement and are not

allowed to meet unsupervised with visitors, including their lawyers. Islamist

prisoners in Jweidah were held in a separate wing and kept in small-group

isolation. International and domestic NGOs also reported that in some instances

credible allegations of inhumane conditions. The government investigated and

monitored prison and detention center conditions.

The government permitted local and international human rights observers to visit

prisons and conduct private interviews. During the year the International

Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited prisoners and detainees in all prisons,

including those controlled by the GID and the military intelligence directorate,

according to standard ICRC modalities. The Ombudsman's Bureau, a national

institution that receives complaints about federal agencies, is unable to serve on

behalf of prisoners to consider matters such as alternatives to incarceration,

management from the PSD to the Ministry of Justice. At year's end the government

had finished constructing four new CRCs with cells that meet international

standards, raising the number of prisons from 14 to 18.

d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention

The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention. According to local and

international human rights groups, the government did not always observe these

prohibitions in practice. In particular, the governors of the country's 12

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individuals without due process.

Role of the Police and Security Apparatus

The PSD controls general police functions. The PSD, GID, gendarmerie, Civil

Defense Directorate, and military share responsibility for maintaining internal

security. Members of the gendarmerie assist police in emergencies, provide

diplomatic security, and respond to riots, protests, and demonstrations. The Civil

Defense Directorate is responsible for public safety during natural disasters and

credible reports of corruption or abuse by security forces. The government used

mechanisms to investigate abuse and corruption, but there were wide-scale

allegations of impunity. Citizens may file complaints of police abuse or corruption

with the PSD's human rights office or with one of 50 police prosecutors stationed

throughout the country. Complaints of abuse and corruption by the gendarmerie

may be filed directly with the gendarmerie. A GID liaison officer receives

complaints against the GID and refers them to GID personnel for investigation.

Complaints against the PSD, gendarmerie, and GID may also be filed with the

NCHR or several other NGOs, such as the Arab Organization for Human Rights

(AOHR). The PSD's preventive security office is tasked with investigating

observers. During the year citizens filed 46 complaints, including allegations of

mistreatment against PSD personnel. NGOs noted that victims may be reluctant to

file formal complaints due to impunity within the police and security apparatus.

Arrest Procedures and Treatment While in Detention

The law allows suspects to be detained for up to 24 hours without a warrant in all

cases. The criminal code requires that police notify authorities within 24 hours of

an arrest and that authorities file formal charges within 15 days of an arrest.

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obtaining warrants and prosecutors did not file charges or seek extensions in a

timely manner. The period to file formal charges can be extended for as long as six

months for a felony and two months for a misdemeanor. Local NGOs stated that

prosecutors routinely requested extensions and judges granted them. This practice

generally lengthened pretrial detention for protracted periods. As of year's end,

approximately 800 persons were reportedly being held in prison without formal

charge. Bail is allowed under the penal code and used in some cases. Some

detainees reported not being allowed timely access to a lawyer, but authorities

generally permitted family member visits. Authorities appointed lawyers to

right to notify a relative and to be informed of their rights and charges against them

at the time of detention.

The State Security Court gives judicial police, charged with conducting criminal

investigations, authority to arrest and keep persons in custody for 10 days. This

authority includes arrests for alleged misdemeanors. In cases purportedly involving

state security, the security forces arrested and detained citizens without warrants or

judicial review, held defendants in lengthy pretrial detention without informing

them of the charges against them, and did not allow defendants to meet with their

lawyers or permitted meetings only shortly before trial. Defendants before the

detention without bail during the proceedings. Several inmates were in detention

without charge at year's end.

Under the Crime Prevention Law, provincial governors may detain individuals

suspected of planning to commit a crime or those who allegedly shelter thieves,

habitually steal, or constitute a danger to the public, and in practice they used this

provision widely. Those accused are subject to imprisonment or house arrest as

"administrative detention" without formal charges. A detention order may be for as

long as one year, but governors can impose new orders to prolong detentions.

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international and national NGOs noted that governors routinely abused the law,

imprisoning individuals when there was not enough evidence to convict them and

prolonging detentions of prisoners whose sentences had expired. The law was also

widely used to incarcerate women at risk of being honor crime victims. The NCHR

and other human rights organizations called for the abolishment of the Crime

Prevention Law.

e. Denial of Fair Public Trial

approves judicial appointments after initial nominations by the ministry, and it

assigns and evaluates judges. The executive branch, through the ministry, controls

most judicial functions, giving the government the ability to influence judicial

decisions. The Judicial Council continued to lack the internal capacity to

effectively manage judicial administrative and financial matters and therefore

lacked independence. Unlike the previous year, there were no allegations that the

former council's head reassigned judges or forced them to retire early for personal

instead of policy reasons.

Trial Procedures

imprisonment. In many cases defendants have no legal representation. In July 2009

the government passed an amendment that made court rulings legally binding

without the presence of the defendant if an attorney for the defendant is present.

Defendants could present witnesses on their behalf and question witnesses

presented against them. Defense attorneys were generally granted access to

government-held evidence relevant to their clients' cases. Defendants can appeal

verdicts; appeals are automatic for cases involving the death penalty. In the State

Security Court, defendants convicted of felonies have the right to appeal their

sentences to the Court of Cassation, which is authorized to review issues of both

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commercial courts accord equal weight to the testimony of men and women;

however, in Sharia courts, which have jurisdiction over Muslim marriage, divorce,

and inheritance cases, the testimony of two women was equal to that of a man in

most circumstances.

Political Prisoners and Detainees

Citizens and NGOs alleged that the government continued to detain individuals,

including political opposition members, for political reasons during the year, and

crimes against national security, reportedly received greater abuse than other

prisoners.

Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies

There is an independent judiciary in civil matters. Individuals may bring lawsuits

related to human rights violations and did so during the year. The High Court of

Justice hears administrative complaints. The courts are open to all residents. Courts

also have jurisdiction over any person in civil matters, including lawsuits in which

the government is a plaintiff or a defendant.

Correspondence

The law prohibits arbitrary interference in private matters, but the government did

not respect this prohibition in practice. Citizens widely believed that security

officers monitored telephone conversations and Internet communication, read

private correspondence, and engaged in surveillance without court orders.

The law requires that security forces obtain a warrant from the prosecutor general

or a judge before conducting searches; however, during the year foreign migrant

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For a complete description of religious freedom, please see the 2010 International

Religious Freedom Report at www.state.gov/g/drl/irf/rpt.

d. Freedom of Movement, Internally Displaced Persons, Protection of

Refugees, and Stateless Persons

The law provides for freedom of movement within the country, foreign travel,

emigration, and repatriation; however, there were some restrictions. The UN

reported that the government cooperated with the Office of the UN High

Some mothers claimed that they were prevented from departing the country with

their children because authorities enforced requests from fathers to prevent their

children from leaving. However, authorities did not stop fathers from exiting the

country with their children when the mother objected. There were reports some

women were required to obtain the permission of either their husband or father in

order to acquire or renew a passport, despite the 2003 Passport Law, which

stipulates that women do not need a custodian to renew passports. The GID

sometimes withheld passports from citizens for alleged security reasons.

Employers or authorities sometimes held the passports of foreign workers.

West Bank residents without other travel documentation were eligible to receive

five-year travel documents that do not connote citizenship. Local and international

human rights organizations continued to charge that the government did not

consistently apply citizenship laws, especially in cases in which passports were

taken from citizens of Palestinian origin or in which national identification

numbers were revoked, thereby revoking citizenship.

A HRW report issued in February claimed that more than 2,700 Jordanians of

Palestinian origin had their citizenship revoked between 2004 and 2007. The

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disengagement from its former claims to the West Bank. For example, government

officials stated that a national number may be revoked if an individual obtains

Palestinian travel documents, works for any part of the Palestinian Authority, or

does not renew a family reunification permit. Activists complained that the

disengagement regulations did not outline such procedures, that the process was

not transparent, and that the Ministry of Interior's appeal process was virtually

nonexistent. Claimants reported that appeals were not resolved to their satisfaction.

Human rights activists also claimed the government refused to renew the passports

of former residents of Palestinian origin at overseas embassies.

The country is not a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of

Refugees or its 1967 Protocol. Its laws do not provide for the granting of asylum or

refugee status, and the government has not established a formal system of

providing protection to refugees and does not have any national legislation

pertaining to the status and treatment of refugees. The government respected the

UNHCR's eligibility determinations regarding asylum seekers, including those who

entered the country clandestinely. A 1998 memorandum of understanding between

the government and the UNHCR contains the definition of a refugee, confirms the

principle of nonrefoulement, and allows recognized refugees a maximum stay of

six months, during which period the UNHCR must find a durable solution. In

particularly of refugees in protracted situations.

The UNRWA and the government continued to provide services, such as health

care, education, the right to work, and social services, to Palestinian refugees

during the year. At year's end, approximately two million Palestinian refugees were

registered with the UNRWA in the country.

The government granted nationality to approximately 700,000 persons displaced

from former territories during the 1967 war with Israel. An additional 120,000

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additional 200,000 Palestinian refugees were also estimated to be living in the

country without any direct assistance.

The government generally recognized the UNHCR's requests to grant temporary

protection for all Iraqi asylum seekers, including new arrivals, rejected asylum or

resettlement cases, and recognized refugees whose cases had been suspended by

resettlement countries. The government estimated there were 450,000 to 500,000

Iraqi refugees in the country; NGO estimates varied from 100,000 to 200,000. As

of years' end, a total of 30,800 Iraqi refugees in the country were registered with

refugees received work permits due to bureaucratic hurdles and significant

overstay fines they would have to pay when applying for such permits.

Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens to Change Their

Government

The law does not provide citizens the right to change their monarch or government.

The king appoints and dismisses the prime minister, cabinet, and the House of

Notables, dissolves parliament, and directs major public policy initiatives. Citizens

may participate in the political system through their elected representatives in the

postpone regular sessions for as long as 60 days. In November 2009 the king

dissolved parliament and called for parliamentary elections in the final quarter of

2010. Although the constitution states that elections must be held within four

months of parliament's dismissal or the previous parliament is reinstated, the king

exercised his constitutional authority to extend this period. If the government

amends or enacts a law when parliament is not in session, it must submit the law to

parliament for consideration during the next session; however, such "temporary"

laws do not expire. Although they are technically subject to action by parliament

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of legislative action.

Elections and Political Participation

On November 9, the country held parliamentary elections, which international

observers stated in their preliminary reports were "credible" and "a clear

improvement over the nation's 2007 polls," while recommending future reforms

such as establishing an independent electoral management body, preprinting

ballots to mitigate concerns over voting procedures for the illiterate, strengthening

parliament to 12, added four parliamentary seats to underrepresented urban

districts, and divided the existing electoral districts into nongeographic subdistricts

based on the number of seats within each district. The new subdistricting system

served to change the rules for candidate registration by requiring candidates to run

for a specific subdistrict, while still allowing voters to cast their single ballots for

any candidate within the electoral district as a whole. Civil society groups and

media commentators criticized the law for not going far enough in its reforms to

address concerns about fairness and transparency, especially for persons of

Palestinian origin. Many analysts commented that government did not adequately

explain to citizens the new law's system of nongeographic subdistricts.

from five governorates. Opposition parties complained that the law was

unconstitutional and obstructed political dynamism. Political parties, NGOs, and

independent candidates found the registration process onerous and costly and

criticized the GID's annual screening process of founding party members. Political

parties also complained that the mandated public funding of 50,000 dinars

($71,100) was insufficient to operate effective campaigns. Political analysts and

opposition parties called on the government to take active measures to promote

party development, including amendments to the electoral system that would place

greater emphasis on parties.

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Women have the right to vote. On November 9, 13 women were elected to

parliament, exceeding the quota by one. There was one female governor, and three

women served in the appointed 30-member cabinet. The law provides a 20 percent

quota for women in municipal council seats and a 10 percent quota for women in

the lower house of parliament.

Citizens of Palestinian origin were underrepresented at all levels of government

and the military. Many observers believed the electoral system was intended to

reduce the representation of areas heavily populated by citizens of Palestinian

they were permitted to hold office under their government classification as

Muslims. The law also stipulates that Muslims must hold all seats not reserved for

specified minority religions. Christians served as cabinet ministers and

ambassadors. The government traditionally reserves some positions in the upper

levels of the military for Christians (4 percent); however, Muslims held all senior

command positions.

Section 4 Official Corruption and Government Transparency

The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, it remained a

family, business, and other personal connections to advance personal business

interests was widespread. There were allegations of lack of transparency in

government procurement, government appointments, and dispute settlement.

During the year the Anticorruption Commission investigated 890 cases of

corruption. The cases dealt with fraud, misuse of public office, forgery, bribery,

and embezzlement, as well as cases related to food and drug laws. Despite

increased investigations, some local observers questioned the commission's

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or large government projects despite allegations against them.

On July 7, the State Security Court sentenced three former officials--a former

finance minister, a former Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC)

chairperson, and a former economic advisor to the prime minister--and a

businessman to three years in prison after convicting them of bribery in connection

with the JPRC expansion project. The defendants were acquitted on the charges of

abuse of public office. The defendants appealed the conviction and were free on

bail at year's end.

During the year citizens filed more than 2,776 complaints against public agencies

with the governmental Ombudsman Bureau. The bureau rejected 1,537 of the

complaints because they did not fall under its mandate, but it amicably resolved 80

percent of the accepted cases and issued recommendations in 19 percent of the

accepted cases. The bureau is charged with investigating complaints regarding any

decision or action by public offices or their employees.

The law requires certain government officials to declare their assets privately; in

the event of a complaint, the chief justice may review the disclosures. Under the

law failure to disclose assets could result in prison sentences from one week to

public health, and personal freedoms." Journalists criticized the law, claiming it

permits the government to deny requests without justification. A 2008 study by the

Al Urdun Al Jadid Research Center showed that 58 percent of journalists were

unaware of the law and nearly 85 percent did not know they had the right to

request information. Fifty percent of journalists who had attempted to obtain

government information characterized the government's response as inadequate,

and 13.8 percent said their requests triggered verbal abuse. In a 2008 Higher Media

Council survey, nearly half of the journalists surveyed reported difficulty accessing

information or said their requests had been denied outright.

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Section 5 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and Nongovernmental

Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights

Domestic and international human rights groups operated in the country with some

restrictions. The law gives the government the ability to control NGOs' internal

affairs, including acceptance of foreign funding. NGOs were generally able to

investigate and report publicly on human rights abuses throughout the year,

although government officials were not always cooperative. Senior government

officials accused local human rights organizations of having "Western" or foreign

The government generally cooperated with international NGOs, the UN, and other

international governmental organizations. On May 14, as part of its periodic review

process, the UN Committee against Torture expressed "deep concern" at

continuing allegations of torture and mistreatment of detainees in the country (see

section 1.c.).

The government-funded NCHR's reporting was largely regarded as objective and

critical, although some local human rights groups and activists complained that the

NCHR did not speak out sufficiently during the year on some controversial issues,

establish civil society and professional associations, limitations on protests and

demonstrations, restrictions on the right to access information, and physical attacks

by students against their professors and vice versa.

Section 6 Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons

The constitution states that all citizens are equal under the law and prohibits

discrimination based on race, language, and religion; however, discrimination on

the basis of gender, disability, and social status is not specifically prohibited. The

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remedies.

Women

Violence and abuse against women continued, including widespread domestic

violence, numerous honor crimes, and spousal rape. In rural areas violence against

women was reported more frequently than in major cities, but women's rights

activists speculated that many incidents in cities went unreported.

In a survey of women in rural southern areas that the Higher Population Council

and the Ministry of Health released in January 2009, 30 percent of women 15 to 49

years old reported psychological abuse and 20 percent reported physical abuse.

Spousal abuse is technically grounds for divorce, but husbands can claim religious

authority to strike their wives. A woman may file a complaint against her spouse

for physical abuse with the FPD, certain NGOs, or directly with judicial

authorities. During the year the FPD forwarded 2,021 complaints of domestic

violence for prosecution. Violators of protection orders may face as long as six

months in prison. Observers noted that judges generally supported a woman's

not seek help because they were afraid of breaking up or damaging the reputation

of their families. The results also showed some degree of acceptance of abuse,

particularly among less-educated women. Of the respondents who reported a case

of violence, 83 percent identified their husband, father, or brother as the

perpetrator. There were few services available to victims of domestic violence, and

most women were not aware of them.

The government-run shelter Dar al-Wafaq assisted approximately 730 women and

160 children who were victims of domestic violence. It provided reconciliation

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such as legal and medical assistance. However, observers noted a lack of a

comprehensive approach for victims and the absence of psychosocial counseling.

The FPD continued to operate a domestic violence hotline during the year and

received inquiries and complaints via the Internet and e-mail. The Jordanian

Women's Union, a domestic NGO, maintained a hotline for victims of domestic

violence and provided shelter to abuse victims. The Jordan River Foundation

operated a child and family center in East Amman that provided shelter and

assistance to domestic violence victims. During the year the quasi-governmental

Jordanian National Commission for Women received 583 gender-related

correlation between poverty and education with "honor" crimes. The study found

that 73 percent of victims since 2000 were classified as poor, a group that

constituted only 30 percent of the country's population. The brother of the victim

was the perpetrator in 76 percent of the cases and the father in 13 percent.

In July 2009 the government established a specialized section within the criminal

courts to hear all cases of "honor" crimes. During the year the court sentenced 15

perpetrators to 10 years in prison and one perpetrator to five years in prison. In

most cases during the year, the family dropped the criminal charges, and the court

issued a sentence of 10 years' imprisonment. Judges have the discretionary right,

the court immediately cut the sentence in half. In previous years the courts usually

found perpetrators of honor killings guilty of a "crime of passion," which merited a

maximum sentence of three years. Although defendants were almost always found

guilty, they often received token sentences of no more than six months. The

maximum sentence for first-degree murder is death.

On June 1 in East Amman, a man stabbed his sister 30 times on a busy street with

the assistance of his 19-year-old cousin. The brother suspected that his sister was

pregnant. The victim was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on

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murder, and at year's end the case was pending.

On July 23 in Deir Alla, a man shot and killed his 16-year-old niece with a

machine gun at her wedding, confessing he did it to "cleanse his family's honor"

over suspicions the girl had lost her virginity a month earlier. The father and

husband pressed criminal charges against the perpetrator; the case was pending at

year’s end.

At year's end the March 2009 case of a man in Zarqa who beat to death his 19-

dropped the charges.

Through the administrative detention authority granted to governors under the

Crime Prevention Act, authorities continued to place potential victims of honor

crimes in involuntary protective custody in the Women's Correctional and

Rehabilitation Center in Jweideh, a detention facility where some women had

remained for more than four years. A woman detained in protective custody can be

released only after her family signs a statement guaranteeing her safety and both

the local governor and the woman agree to the release. During the year the

government released a number of women who had been detained for more than 10

to protective custody.

According to the law, sexual harassment in the workplace is strictly prohibited.

The law does not make a distinction between sexual assault and sexual harassment;

both carry a minimum prison sentence of four years with hard labor. Women's

groups stated that harassment was common, but many victims were hesitant to file

a complaint and rarely did so because they often were blamed for inciting it, they

feared losing their job, or they faced pressure to keep silent.

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strategy launched in September 2009. The government continued to test all

foreigners annually for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, syphilis, malaria, and tuberculosis,

and it deported foreigners who tested HIV positive.

Section 7 Worker Rights

a. The Right of Association

The law provides citizens working in the private sector, in some government-

workers are not permitted to create unions or hold key positions.

Government influence in union policies and activities reportedly continued. The

government required unions to be members of the GFJTU, the sole trade union

federation, and new unions must be directly linked to 17 professions and sectors in

which unions already exist before being approved by the Ministry of Labor. The

government subsidized and audited the GFJTU's salaries and activities, and it

monitored union elections. Observers noted that the minister of labor may dissolve

unions without judicial due process.

negotiations with the government. In June the government forced approximately 40

teachers, many of whom were actively calling on the government to create an

independent association, into early retirement but reinstated them just before

school started on September 14.

On July 15, the government issued an amendment to the labor law allowing

companies with more than 25 employees to form workers' committees to look into

labor conditions. The amendment also allowed up to 28 days of sick leave per year

and the recalculation of annual leave to exclude weekends.

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The law permits workers to strike only under certain conditions, including a

minimum 14 days' notice to both the employer and the government. Strikes are

prohibited if a labor dispute is under mediation or arbitration. In practice workers

generally went on strike without notifying the government in advance, and the

union or workers requested penalty waivers for the illegal strike as part of

subsequent labor negotiations. During the year the gendarmerie broke up one strike

deemed illegal due to lack of prior notice and briefly detained some strikers.

As of year's end, a joint PSD-gendarmerie investigation continued into the alleged

demands, such as monetary support of between 3,000 and 5,000 dinars ($4,200-

$7,000) for moving expenses.

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

Unions have the right to bargain collectively, and in practice the government

respected this right, although observers stated that the legal procedures are

cumbersome and discourage collective bargaining.

The constitution prohibits antiunion discrimination, and the Ministry of Labor

Nearly 76 percent of the workers in the qualified industrial zones (QIZs) were

noncitizens and for most of the year were not permitted to participate in unions or

to engage in collective bargaining. As of year's end, foreign workers were not

permitted to form unions but could join existing unions.

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

The constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, except in a state of

emergency such as war or natural disaster. However, there were reports of forced

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the August 2009 passage of new domestic worker regulations, labor inspectors

have the authority to inspect a labor complaint in a private home but only after

receiving the employer's permission or with a court order. According to local

NGOs, as of year's end, labor inspectors had not investigated reports of labor abuse

in private homes. Domestic workers can file in-person complaints with the

Ministry of Labor's Domestic Workers Directorate or the PSD; however, many

domestic workers complained that there was no follow up to their cases either from

the Ministry of Labor or the PSD. Domestic workers are covered by the labor laws,

although not fully or effectively.

Sri Lanka prohibited the emigration of migrant workers for domestic work because

of a high rate of employer abuse of domestic workers and administrative problems

with overstay fines when employers filed to renew the employees' work permits.

However, the prohibition did not reduce the flow of migrant workers.

During the year an estimated 300 domestic workers from the Philippines, 275

Indonesian workers, and 400 Sri Lankan workers were sheltered at their respective

embassies in Amman. Most had reportedly fled some form of forced labor,

including unpaid wages and to a lesser extent sexual or physical abuse. By law

employers are responsible for renewing residency permits but often fail to do this

examine the cases individually. In some cases this resulted in overstay fines being

waived.

Chinese, Bangladeshi, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Filipino men and women

encountered conditions indicative of forced labor in some garment sector factories,

including unlawful withholding of passports, late or nonpayment of wages, and

excessive overtime. The government actively inspected factories and investigated

allegations of forced labor in garment factories, and reports of withholding of

passports declined during the year. The Ministry of Labor required violators to

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imposed fines when appropriate. The ministry also publicized the outcomes of its

findings.

Also see the Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report at

www.state.gov/g/tip.

d. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment

The labor law forbids employment for children younger than 16 years of age,

or religious holidays, and on weekends.

Children worked in mechanical repair, agriculture, fishing, construction, and the

hotel and restaurant industry, as well as in the informal sector as street vendors,

carpenters, blacksmiths, domestic workers, and painters, and in small family

businesses. Child labor was reportedly concentrated in larger cities, such as

Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid. A 2008 Department of Statistics study estimated that

more than 32,000 children between the ages of five and 17 were working in the

country. Activists estimated the number to be higher, as many businesses and

families tended to hide the practice.

carpentries, restaurants, and gas stations.

On September 20, the Ministry of Labor reported that 32.4 percent of working

children were in Amman, with the remainder distributed across the country, mainly

in impoverished areas. Eighty-nine percent of the working children were boys

employed in the car repair (approximately 36 percent), agricultural (27 percent), or

hotel and restaurant (4 percent) sectors.

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sufficient to deter the practice. The Ministry of Labor's Child Labor Unit

coordinates government action regarding child labor and receives, investigates, and

addresses child labor complaints. The unit, with three employees, coordinated child

labor inspections for the 129 labor inspectors.

In 2009 the government reinstated the National Committee to Combat Child Labor

and initiated development of a new national strategy; however, as of year's end, the

government had not implemented the new national strategy. During the year

international organizations trained 78 general labor inspectors on techniques of

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

The national minimum wage was 150 dinars ($213) per month, which did not

provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Ministry of Labor

inspectors enforced the minimum wage but were unable to ensure full compliance

due to limited resources.

The law requires overtime pay for hours worked in excess of the 48-hour standard

workweek. The law prohibits compulsory overtime but allows the employer to

may not last more than 30 days. Employees can lodge a complaint directly with the

Ministry of Labor or through organizations such as their union or the NCHR.

Employees are entitled to one day off per week. Provisions for domestic workers

were similar.

The law specifies a number of health and safety requirements that the Ministry of

Labor is authorized to enforce; however, workers do not have a statutory right to

remove themselves from hazardous conditions without risking the loss of their jobs

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to dangerous or unfair conditions.

Foreign workers, who make up the vast majority of workers in the QIZs and

Export Processing Zones, were vulnerable to poor work conditions such as

mandatory overtime, withholding of passports, and unacceptable living conditions

in dorms. On August 18, the Phoenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies

issued a report claiming that approximately 10,000 attendants and cafeteria staff in

the health support services sector were denied basic rights such as annual leave,

health and safety conditions, and minimum wage as guaranteed under the labor

Organization project, Better Work Jordan, mandatory in all garment factories in the

country. The project aimed to improve labor standards compliance through

monitoring of factories and reporting on conditions as well as providing technical

assistance.