Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan, in March, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), UNHCR’s legal partner, has been providing legal services to beneficiaries, in line with its mission of securing legal, social and labor protection for refugees and host communities.
ARDD has allocated eight phone numbers covering all governorates in the Kingdom, Kingdom, for those seeking protection and legal services. ARDD has provided consultations and mediation services to more than 7,000 beneficiaries, including Jordanians, refugees and foreign residents in the country until May 20, 2020.
These help sought came in the form of inquiries about the lockdown, movement permits of all kinds, consultations on family problems, including divorce, labor rights in light of the recent defense law orders, among others; also offered were legal mediation services to individuals.
From March 15 until the end of the month, ARDD’s Legal Aid Department provided legal consultations on 2,786 cases, to beneficiaries of Jordanian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni, Sudanese, Somali, Croatian, American, Saudi, Emirati, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Eritrean nationalities on matters related to lockdown orders, movement permits of various kinds, consultations on family problems consultations on fatwas and clarifications on labor rights in light of the instructions issued during the period of the crisis. Other consultations included information about: phone numbers of other service providers (such of the public security, civil defense, health institutions, food aid, etc.), administrative detention due to violation of the lockdown and for other reasons, wife and child rights (expenses and custody), regulations concerning landlords and tenants, bank loans and other financial transactions (debts), as well as inquiries about court case hearings. ARDD provided 98 legal mediation services on labor rights: challenges faced by workers due to the current conditions, problems between spouses, problems with landlords and with creditors.
During the month of April 2020, the Legal Department continued to provide services, concerning 2,342 cases, to beneficiaries of Jordanian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Syrian, Yemeni, Sudanese, Somali, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Eritrean nationalities, and provided legal advice on the previously mentioned cases, in addition to complaints minor abuse, and bullying, inquiries about documentation, such as birth certificates, aid service cards of children of Jordanian women married to foreigners, and registrations with the UNHCR. It also provided legal mediation services to 56 individuals.
As for the period from 1 to 20 May, 2020, ARDD provided legal consultations on 2,587 cases to beneficiaries of Jordanian, Palestinian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Syrian, Yemeni, Sudanese, Somali and Ugandan nationalities, as well as legal mediation services to 71 individuals.
All these services were provided by phone during COVID-19 lockdown; starting with May 10, 2020, ARDD’s offices reopened to the public in all governorates abiding by the virus prevention regulations.
