Youth Unemployment in Jordan: Failed Strategies and Deferred Promises
Dr. Raad Al Tal and Dr. Jalal Husseini Unemployment in Jordan has been expanding over the past 10 years, and its rate continued to grow in an unprecedented manner during the past two years. External factors, including the repercussions of COVID-19, have played a role in exacerbating the unemployment problem in Jordan, but internal policies, structural imbalances in the labor market and vocational preparation, and partnerships between the public and private sectors have played the greatest role in the exacerbation of the problem, and the stalling of solutions and lack of real progress in solving it. The Jordanian constitution, since 1952, enshrines the right to work, yet despite this and the existence of more than 17 strategies related to employment and combating unemployment, no positive results have been registered, rather, bureaucratic challenges have increased. The unemployment rate in Jordan today is about 25% and reaches more than 33% among women. Official statistics show that 59.3% of the unemployed are holders of a high school diploma or higher degree. The unemployment rate among men with a bachelor’s degree or higher reaches 29.5%, while it jumps among women to 81.8%. The unemployment rate in the last quarter of 2022 among young people in the 15-24 age group reached about 46.9%: 42.1% among men and 67.5% among women. The “Youth Unemployment in Jordan: Failed Strategies and Deferred Promises” study, conducted by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) as part of the efforts of the Human and Economic Development Forum (HEDF) tries to address the issue as it seeks to analyze the trends, characteristics, and causes of unemployment among Jordanian youths, as well as the reasons for the inadequacy of the various employment measures and legislative strategies adopted by successive Jordanian governments to address this serious issue. It suggests recommendations aimed at facilitating the access of youths in Jordan to decent work to contribute to the Jordanian economy.
A Localization Approach to Vulnerability Assessment: Creating a Common Understanding of Vulnerability
This report sheds light on the local perspective on vulnerability. It is part of a series of studies that look into the localization of various gender-related issues. The report points to the mechanisms adopted by CSOs to assess vulnerability to bring together the local perspective and improve the access of the most vulnerable to the support available. The research assessed how the most vulnerable groups accessed the NAF program during COVID-19, through the perspective of local communities and CSOs. The results of the research should help develop (or update) a new vulnerability assessment tool based on the local communities understanding of vulnerability. The report makes recommendations to ensure gender-sensitive responses to COVID-19 and better-coordinated strategies between CSOs and decision-makers that would help improve the current vulnerability assessing mechanisms. This report aims to examine the current vulnerability assessment tools adopted by government programs, particularly Takaful, and by CSOs, to reach an agreement on the approaches adopted. The report examines the local CSOs’ perspectives and experiences in assessing vulnerability in their communities and hopes to contribute to improving the current assessment mechanisms through the adoption of an inclusive vulnerability assessment. To bring to light the local experience and perspectives, ARDD conducted a total of 11 KIIs with local CSOs members of the JONAF coalition, based in different regions of the country. The main conclusions and recommendations of this process are: The government and CSOs have to intensify and systematize their collaboration to improve access to aid and assistance (simplify procedures, improve geographical coverage, ensure access to technology, and boost literacy and digital literacy). Vulnerability needs to be redefined to better reflect the needs of the local communities Gender Issues and Intersectionality to be taken into Account for an Inclusive response to Vulnerable Groups Improving Communication and Involving other Actors through a Participatory Approach to Aid Programs This report comes as part of the action research within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Capacities of Women-led CSOs in Evidence-Based Advocacy and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda”, supported by UN Women with the generous funding of the governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, Cyprus, and the United Kingdom. ARDD would like to thank the civil society partners and individuals that supported the development of this study, which was carried out by the research team of the Al Nahda Thought Center.
Localizing Research on Domestic Violence
Given the importance of nurturing the role and capabilities of local civil society institutions, especially those run by women leaders, in monitoring and analyzing the reality of their communities and the environment regulating their work, all of which qualify them to engage in sensitive issues such as social and domestic violence, this report, in which 11 organizations participated, seeks Civil society members of the Jordan National NGOs Forum (JONAF) to research domestic violence from a societal perspective. This report explores the local community’s perceptions and attitudes towards violence against women and girls, focusing on the levels of awareness, attitudes, and societal responses to these cases through the work of ARDD with local organizations to enhance their capabilities to enable them to conduct their own research; Including identifying the different types of domestic violence, and raising awareness of the signs and effects of domestic violence against women and girls, in addition to providing an opportunity for organizations to develop community-based prevention and response mechanisms in order to improve the support provided to survivors of violence. The report, which comes as part of the action research conducted by ARDD’s Al Nahda Center within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Capacities of Women-led CSOs in Evidence-Based Advocacy and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda” supported by UN Women with the generous funding of the governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Cyprus, presented several specific recommendations that are incorporated through three policy briefs to mitigate these cases. Enhancing access to Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence: Building Trust in National and Local Service Providers Inadequate knowledge of service providers’ policies and procedures discourages victims from filing complaints. Families may know about the Family Protection Department but are often unaware of the services the department and local civil society organizations provide, or of their role in protecting victims of domestic violence. By collaborating with CSOs, the FPD will be able to expand awareness about its work and enable access to its services to a broader region, so CSOs can refer cases to the FPD, as well as equip FPD with communication material that helps it reach local communities as such when awareness is raised about these services and procedures, trust in services providers will be enhanced Economic empowerment and mitigating domestic violence risks A participatory approach needs to be ensured to better identify the needs of the survivors and the services offered to them should be reviewed regularly, in addition to building economic empowerment in a vision of mitigating domestic violence, taking into account the local perspective. Building a Women´s Network for Empowerment and Solidarity The topic of domestic violence continues to be perceived as too sensitive in Jordanian society, and women refrain from reporting it due to factors such as societal norms, fear of retaliation, maintaining family cohesion, and economic challenges. To maintain confidentiality and not endanger the cohesion of their families, respondents highlighted that survivors turn to their family members for assistance and support. Establishing a network that empowers women to fight against GBV would create a safe and comfortable environment in which women can discuss GBV and support each other. Enacting legislative reforms Like other countries in the region, various reforms must be made by Jordan to assist and protect women who are at risk of violence and harassment. It is imperative that the Jordanian parliament enact laws and legislation that will guarantee the safety, dignity, and respect of all women, as well as laws that mete out strict penalties for abusers. Furthermore, the role of the judiciary in resolving conflicts arising from domestic violence by following up on settlements, must be enhanced, rather than following administrative procedures, and strengthening protection orders. In addition to the governmental and legislative roles, there is an integrative role that falls on the shoulders of all concerned parties: Human rights organizations must be trained to deal with cases of violence and provide adequate protection for the survivors. Media institutions must implement training programs to educate society, as well as revise the media discourse on violence against women. Given the importance elicit local knowledge and support locally in response to the reality of society, its challenges and needs according to its priorities and perceptions of solutions, to strengthen research on issues of community and domestic violence to address indicators of emergency needs, find evidence of progress made to build on it, ARDD continues to work with its partners to support the research agenda and communication with all concerned parties to advocate for these recommendations and work on them together and ensure that resources are found to achieve them
Green Economy and Circular Economy: The UN as a Catalyst of Change for Refugees?
Jordan and the Arab region are not isolated in sharing legitimate concerns for how scarce resources –especially water – are going to meet the needs of a growing population. A growing concern, nonetheless, is not matched by a clear vision on how to preserve the available resources and prevent the situation from getting worse. At the same time, the green economy and circular economy have become popular concepts in development but have not yet fully made their way to Jordan and the rest of the region. When they do, they should not be just buzz words, but carry a meaning that is made of a long-term and inclusive strategy. It is time for all of us, each of us, to turn to a way of living that is environmentally sustainable, opting for low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive alternatives and, regenerating instead of wasting, preserving instead of destroying. This report sheds light on some of these ideas, inspiring UN agencies like UNRWA, together with engaged civil society, to play a pioneering role in promoting an effective environment culture, and governments with which they work can learn from, participate in and benefit from it. This may lead the way and show how humanitarian and development actors fit and for most should behave in resource vulnerable countries: as the principle of ‘do not harm’ must extend to the environment. The underlying research of this paper was carried out by Ciara Patterson. Francesca Albanese, ARDD’s senior advisor, supervised the research and contributed to the writing of the final paper
Redistributing Care Work in Jordan: Enacting Policy Reforms
Jordan has enacted a number of care policies into legislation that addresses the expansion of early childhood care and education, the provision of stronger care systems for the elderly, and the reform of care leave policies. However, there have been concerns raised by activists about the efficacy of current care policies in relation to the disproportionate amount of time that women in Jordan spend on care work. Gender inequalities in unpaid care work and the labor force are interconnected. In order to increase women’s participation in the workforce, inequalities in unpaid care work must be “tackled through the effective recognition, reduction, and redistribution of unpaid care work between families and the State.” The State can allocate resources to reduce and redistribute unpaid care services in the form of money, services, and time through care policies. Such care policies include the direct provision of childcare and eldercare services, care-related social protection transfers and benefits distributed to workers who have care responsibilities, and labor regulations such as leave policies and “other family-friendly working arrangements, which enable a better balance between paid employment and unpaid care work.” This brief highlights key findings from a small-scale time-use survey conducted by ARDD in April 2021 that address how women in Jordan perform care work, how they feel about it, and their perspectives and recommendations on how the burden of care work can be redistributed through social protection mechanisms and other policies. The main recommendations suggested: Offer cash transfers or subsidies to caregivers who have dependents to offset some of the burden associated with caring for them. Provide publicly subsidized ECCE services (such as childcare) for children dependents, and nursing services for dependents with disabilities, dependents with severe chronic illnesses, and elderly dependents Reform the current leave policies to include “equal, fully paid, non-transferable parental leave for all parents Include systematic measurements of women’s unpaid care work (direct and indirect) into national statistics and quantify their work in terms of contributions to the gross domestic product (GDP). This brief comes as part of a series of Women Advocacy Issues policy briefs ARDD is producing within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Capacities of Women-led CSOs in Evidence Based Advocacy and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda” supported by UN Women with the generous funding of the governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. ARDD acknowledges the support of the women-led civil society partners involved in the project implementation and thanks the representatives of the organizations for their meaningful contribution.
Jordan Humanitarian Partnerships and Capacity Exchange Analysis
With the aim of supporting the plan of the Humanitarian Partners Forum in Jordan to enhance the localization of humanitarian action, an analysis of humanitarian partnerships was conducted that included 10 United Nations agencies, 59 international NGOs, and 86 local partners, through detailed project statements that focus on capacity exchange, joint coordination and financial references. This analysis was undertaken with the support of the extensive project level partnerships data generously shared by donor, United Nations (UN), International and Local Non-Governmental Organization (INGO / LNGO) partners, to understand key baselines of partnerships in Jordan, particularly around the two issues of humanitarian financing and capacity exchange, in line with the work of the Localization Task Team of the Humanitarian Partners Forum, to support advancing the strategic localization agenda in-country.
Coping with COVID-19 in Jordan: A gendered human security approach
Before the pandemic, the human security situation in Jordan was already complex, at times particularly fragile. COVID-19 and the economic crisis that ensued negatively impacted all aspects of security and will continue to do so unless fundamental changes are adopted. It has been argued that “Jordan had a good coercive mechanism to institute a lockdown but was structurally ill-equipped to deal with a large outbreak”. While the government managed to contain the health crisis to a large degree, the economic and political consequences of the measures adopted are having a profound impact, especially on the most affected groups: people with disabilities, day laborers, the elderly, women, children, migrants and refugees, and host communities. They have even the potential to intensify undemocratic/authoritarian and non-inclusive trends. Analyzing and understanding the human security context in Jordan is bound to provide an essential indicator of how the country will cope in the aftermath of COVID-19. This analysis adopts a gendered human security approach to look at the seven areas of human security in Jordan, namely, economic, health, food, environment, personal, community, and political, and suggest different scenarios regarding the impact of COVID-19 on human security. The report uses a gender lens in its analysis and gives voice to women to come up with gender-responsive recovery solutions. A gendered human security approach ensures a truly comprehensive and people-centered analysis of measures suggested to respond to current challenges. The importance of the report, which was co-edited by Dr. Sawsan Al Majali, lies in its documentation of the digital consultations and sessions of experts that directly monitored the changes during the pandemic’s developments and procedures such as lockdowns, among others. It is the result of an effort exerted by civil society stakeholders to outline, through consensus, possible intervention strategies that aim to minimize the adverse effects of the health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its socioeconomic impact. The scenarios and recommendations proposed are the result of online discussions facilitated by ARDD and the Jordan NGOs Forum (JONAF) by a group of social protection specialists, including activists, academics, politicians, and civil society representatives from Jordan and the region. The sessions, hosted by Dr. Sawsan Majali, Reem Abu Hassan, Manal Al-Wazani, Dr. Sarah Ababneh, Linda Kalash, Dr. Lina Shabib, Dr. Salma Nims, Dr. Ibrahim Aqel, Dr. Abla Amawi, Dr. Raeda Qutb, Dr. Yusuf Mansur, Dr. Maha Al Ali, Dr. Muhannad Al-Azza and Samar Muharib, covered various factors (political, economic, legislative, social and technological) related to the impact of the pandemic. The report made several recommendations, the most important of which are: Revising the government’s development strategies with the support of civil society and experts, developing an efficient scheme to monitor laws introduced during the pandemic, to ensure that there is no overlapping or conflict with other laws and fundamental human rights, developing policies that improve employment rates and increase the number of income-generating activities, reduce income inequality and ensure that no one is left behind, and enhancing inclusive universal social protection coverage through a life-cycle approach (from childhood to old age).
Through Women’s Eyes: The Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Jordan One Year into the Crisis
Jordan’s economy has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which started over a year ago. Women have been disproportionately affected by the economic consequences of COVID-19, during which those who had been working before the onset of the pandemic lost a notable portion of their income and all had to face growing household responsibilities. This decrease in income and the additional expenses resulting from COVID-19 have complicated the situation for indebted women. where many women had to sell assets to pay their monthly payments. This report explores the economic and social impact of COVID-19 on women in Jordan and provides reflections for action from a female grassroots perspective. It explores the impact of the crisis on different economic sectors, as well as some of the more hidden but equally important social consequences of the crisis. The report consists of six sections, the first of which provides a background and summarizes the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, the role of the “JONAF” coalition in the report, and the study methodology. The second section deals with the impact of the pandemic on the sources of income of women working informally in domestic work projects, and women working formally, specifically in the education and agricultural sectors. While the third section reviews the consequences for women in debt during the pandemic, with an analysis of the impact of debt on married, single, widowed, and divorced women. The fourth section, provides an overview of the various social repercussions of the pandemic, with women resorting to negative coping mechanisms to compensate for the decline in income, and their exposure to the psychological pressures associated with increased burdens of unpaid care. The fifth section analyzes the scope of state and local economic assistance distributed to affected families. Finally, the sixth section makes recommendations to address the many obstacles outlined in the report. It targets three main categories of decision-makers: government, civil society, and donors. This report comes within the framework of the project “Strengthening the Capacities of Women-led CSOs in Evidence-Based Advocacy and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda,” supported by UN Women with the generous funding of the Governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. ARDD acknowledges the support of the women-led civil society partners involved in the project implementation and thanks the representatives of the organizations for their meaningful contribution.
In the wake of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision concerning the Court’s territorial jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967: Challenges and Opportunities
On 5 February 2021, the International Criminal Court had decided by majority that its territorial jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine, a State Party to the Rome Statute, extends to the territory occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This paper provides an overview of the general context surrounding this decision, expectations as well as concerns regarding the investigation. The paper consists of two main parts. The first part addresses the general context of the Palestinian situation and its legal framework before the Court, including, the historical framework of interactions between the State of Palestine and the Court and a breakdown of the details surrounding the Court’s ruling of the Chamber. Furthermore, the paper attempts to unpack the determining factors related to the timing of the ruling and the Court’s spatial jurisdiction over the case of Palestine and the Court’s mandate over the criminal liability of individuals suspected of committing crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction. The second part discusses what Palestinians need to do to bring to trial the occupying power, especially with regards to the latter’s possible defense for inadmissibility under Article 17 of the Court’s Statute and with reference to ‘the Principle of Complementarity under Article 19. The paper includes a number of important recommendations, primarily to the Palestinian leadership, to prepare effectively to bring to trial the occupation masterminds and anticipate the not unlikely latter’s defense for inadmissibility on a number of grounds. Serious and robust preparation for the ICC trial, the author infers, should include a number of measures, such as (*) to form a team of international lawyers and analysts to assist the Palestinian Authority in the process; (*) to unify the Palestinian judiciary in the West Bank and Gaza and carry out effective investigations over Palestinian alleged perpetrators; (*) to support human rights organizations, especially in the West Bank and Gaza, to secure technical documentation of Israeli crimes; (*) to form an official team of the public the prosecution, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, and allow individuals to submit complaints against crimes committed by the occupying power; (*) to prepare for a list of suspected Israeli military commanders and officials for prosecution. (*) to build investigative files for victims to submit complaints. (*) to create a national archive of victims of crimes committed during Israeli military attacks, in connection with settlement expansion and forceful displacement. (*) to amplify and benefit from relevant international and local efforts supporting Palestine’s path to justice and accountability and mobilize relevant expertise, including among Palestinians in the diaspora. ARDD is grateful to Dr. Ahmed Al-Ashkar, author of this paper, for his insightful and informative contribution; to Dr. Anis Kassim for his useful review of the paper, prior to publication.
Children’s Access to Justice During COVID-19: Challenges Facing Children and Children in Conflict with the Law in Jordan
Jordan has made progress over the past years, yet, there remain significant challenges in ensuring the rights of children and children in conflict with the law in the country. Over the past year, ARDD Legal Aid Department witnessed a significant and concerning, increase in the number of children that are either victims or perpetrators of crimes. Some of the most concerning trends observed by ARDD follow: · The number of theft cases that ARDD has dealt with has doubled in the last two years. · The number of children begging, which is an offense, has also increased since the start of the pandemic. · There has been a noticeable increase in the number of cases of sexual abuse and exploitation involving children. · The number of children involved in drug-related offenses has been increasing each year. · ARDD has received numerous inquiries from families asking for legal advice and advice to deal with cybercrimes involving their children, with slightly higher numbers of boys than of girls. · The economic impact of COVID-19 has contributed to an increase in the number of child labor cases and related problems; unpaid wages, work-related injuries and employer-employee disputes are more prevalent. In addition to exploring these trends, the report looks into the challenges facing children and children in conflict with the law with regard to the justice system in Jordan, from legal practitioners’ point of view. Following established categories in the field, the report looks into three challenges that hinder the creation of a child-friendly justice system: · Challenges during judicial proceedings · Challenges after judicial proceedings · Challenges to the overall dignity and well-being of children The report concludes with a set of three main recommendations as follows: 1. Legal empowerment of children and children in conflict with the law Children need to be informed about their rights. They should be educated about their rights, empowered through legal awareness to avoid conflict with the law and be equipped to seek out reliable legal advice when they face legal challenges. Peer-to-peer work and street law methodologies are among the most important tools to empower children and children in conflict with the law. 2. Provision of legal aid and related services Continued provision of free legal services to children and their families is essential. This is especially important given the vulnerable economic situation that many families currently face due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such services should be effectively integrated within the provision of psychosocial support services in order to prevent future offending and help children reintegrate. It is also vital that the capacity of drug and alcohol rehabilitation services be expanded in order to meet the growing number of cases of children in conflict with the law. 3. Legislative reform Continued legislative reform is required in order to ensure the rights of children in conflict with the law. There must be efforts to comprehensively review all laws, regulations, and instructions that directly or indirectly affect children in order to ensure that the rights of children are respected. In particular, regardless of the type of offense, all offenses committed by children should be dealt with by specialized juvenile courts.