Jordan hosts more than one million migrant workers. Despite the dissemination of this number by official state-governmental institutions such as the Ministry of Labour, only a small number of migrant workers are being officially registered, leaving approximately 710,000 undocumented. Many factors affect the large number of undocumented migrant workers including the reluctance of employers to follow legal procedures and disruptions to the legal status of vulnerable mixed migrants, many of whom are denied refugee status based on nationality. In addition to being unable to fully practice their role in society, the implications of being unregistered are catastrophic for migrant workers already susceptible to violations, exploitation, and further legal repercussions.
As part of ARDD’s programs and efforts to support community members to become leaders and active participants among their communities, Haquna (Our Right) project throughout civic engagement sessions, legal awareness, and referral services, aims to empower migrant workers to mobilize and practice their agency and support them through the cocreation of the Migrant Workers’ Committee as part of MARFA.
MARFA (Migration and Refugee Forum for the Arab World) is one of ARDD’s networks and one of the regional platforms dedicated to and focused on refugee and migration issues. By operating under this network, the Committee will amplify to decision-makers and relevant stakeholders the voices of migrant workers in the region and their countries of origin, as well as link them to the global dialogue on the relevant UN Global Compacts.
The project is aligned with ARDD’s Human & Economic Development and Migration, Refugees & Shataat programs and will be implemented in partnership with Heinrich Böll Foundation- Palestine & Jordan (HBS) in 2021.
