Today, July 30th, marks the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It raises awareness of the existence of this crime and the situation of the people who fell victim to it. Human trafficking remains a global concern and every country is affected by it, yet in many societies, it is not openly debated and does not receive much attention from media or politics, whether as a state of origin, recruitment, transfer, harbor or receipt.
Jordan is no exception.
Most affected by this crime in Jordan are migrant workers and refugees, among them especially women and girls. Migrant workers are marginalized in Jordanian society. Due to their weak position and often lack of knowledge about their rights and entitlements, migrant workers remain vulnerable to exploitation and human rights violations. Although Jordan has successfully implemented an Anti-Human-Trafficking-Law over ten years ago, the text of the law shows many deficiencies when it comes to a clear definition of human trafficking and victim protection. Therefore, civil society organizations fought vehemently for an amendment of the law, which finally showed effect in 2019. This led the government to produce a new draft law, which would increase the penalties for human trafficking offences and establish a compensation fund for victims. However, the draft law has been in the Jordanian Parliament since October 2019 with the final vote having been postponed several times ever since.
But what actually is human trafficking? What different kinds of human trafficking exist and how can one identify whether a person might have become a victim to this crime?
In joint cooperation with the Amman-based podcast production company SOWT, hbs has created two podcast episodes that focus on human trafficking in general and specifically on the crime happening in Jordan. For the first episode click on the link below. It gives information on the definition of human trafficking, sheds light on the Jordanian laws and regulations, and tells you why perpetrators in Jordan are rarely, if ever, convicted for this crime. Moreover, the episode contains interviews with people who share their own stories of how they were tricked and trapped and became victims of human trafficking.
Ma Al’amal (ما العمل): Podcast about Human Trafficking (English)
Ma Al’amal (ما العمل): Podcast about Human Trafficking (Arabic)