In the Shadows: Stories of Exploitation and Hardship Faced by Irregular Migrant Domestic Workers in Jordan

This study clearly shows the multiple dimensions of the suffering and violations faced by irregular
female migrant domestic workers in Jordan. It starts with the exploitation of the kafala (sponsorship)
system, and continues with the constraints imposed by this system and the legal obstacles that
hinder their access to justice; in addition to the violations of their rights and the physical and
psychological abuses they endure. All of this pushes them to work as irregular workers, revealing a
comprehensive picture of a system that sustains the exploitation of this vulnerable group.
 

The study details the daily challenges faced by female workers, such as withholding their passports
and identification documents, deprivation of basic rights such as fair wages and vacations, as well
as violence in its various forms. It highlights the kafala (sponsorship) system, whose effects are
not limited to the restrictions imposed on workers, but sometimes turns into a profitable trade for
sponsors at the expense of the workers. It also reveals a cycle of economic exploitation that migrant
workers enter, which limits their ability to achieve their original migration goals of improving their
families’ conditions in their home countries.

Violations are not limited to the workers themselves, but extend to their children who are not
officially registered due to the lack of a marriage certificate. These unregistered children suffer from
the absence of legal and social protection, and lack even their most basic rights, such as their legal
registration and access to education. These children live in extremely difficult conditions, with no
clear prospects for a better future, and are exposed to the risk of being separated from their mothers
due to lack of identification documents or forced deportation. This deepens the humanitarian crises
associated with this group of people.

Despite the existence of legal systems aimed at protecting the rights of female workers and
regulating their work, reality reveals significant gaps in these systems that are exploited against
this vulnerable group. These gaps include overlapping legal systems, administrative obstacles, and
weak enforcement mechanisms, all of which exacerbate their suffering and force many of them to
move to work as irregular workers, where they face harsh conditions and continue to be subjected
to other forms of exploitation.

Hence, the study emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in the legal and
administrative framework, to ensure the protection of the rights of workers and their children, as
well as to find alternatives to the sponsorship system, and to enhance monitoring, accountability,
and inspection mechanisms to ensure that employers and recruitment agencies comply with the
laws.