Jordan

In Jordan, girls in particular do not have it easy, as they are continued to be killed in the name of so-called honour. Palestinian children also have great problems, they are not given the same rights as other refugees. In addition, the health system can be improved and poverty must be fought.

The Committee expresses its concern about the criminalization of abortion in all circumstances, a situation which leads adolescent girls to resort to unsafe clandestine abortion at the risk of their lives. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of information on the measures taken by the State party to improve adolescent health, including through sexual and reproductive health education.
Further, the Committee urges the State party to decriminalize abortion and review its legislation with a view to guaranteeing the best interests of pregnant teenagers, and to ensure that the views of the child are always heard and respected in abortion decisions. The Committee also recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy for adolescents and ensure that sexual and reproductive health education is part of the mandatory school curriculum and targeted at adolescent girls and boys, with emphasis on preventing early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

The Committee urges the State party to adopt and promote the social and human rights-based approach to disability, which acknowledges that the disabling factors reside in the environmental and attitudinal barriers created by society, and that all children with disabilities are the subjects of their own rights and can become active participants and contributors to society. The State party should organize the collection of appropriate data on children with disabilities which are necessary for the development of policies and programmes for children with disabilities. Also, Jordan should set up a comprehensive policy to develop inclusive education and ensure that inclusive education is given priority over the placement of children in specialized institutions, paying particular attention to children with mental and multiple disabilities. In addition, the Committee urges to recruit sufficient numbers of specialized teachers and professionals to provide individual support in all schools, and ensure that all professionals are adequately trained so that all children with disabilities can enjoy effectively their right to good quality inclusive education. Furthermore, the Committee urges the State Party to take all necessary measures to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities in leisure and cultural activities.

The Committee welcomes the significant progress made in reducing maternal and child mortality, as well as the recognition by the State party that further efforts are needed to reduce the under-5 mortality rate. The Committee is, however, seriously concerned about the alarming rates of malnutrition of children in the Za’atari camp and the malnutrition which continues to disproportionately affect children living in remote areas and belonging to the poorest segments of the population. It is also concerned about infectious diseases, which remain the leading causes of child morbidity, and that universal health insurance coverage of children has not yet been achieved.
The Committee recommends that the State party ensure equal access to good quality health services by all children, through the adoption of measures aimed at prioritizing children in the most disadvantaged and marginalized situations, and by addressing child malnutrition and infectious diseases. The State party should also take the necessary measures for all children to be properly covered by health insurance.

The Committee is concerned about the lack of information on the measures taken by the State party to improve adolescent health, including through the improvement of mental health youth services.

The Committee is concerned that thousands of children, mainly boys, are still working in the wholesale and retail trade and agriculture sectors and that child labour is widespread among Syrian refugees. Also, a number of girls engaged as domestic workers face harsh conditions and are highly exposed to physical and sexual abuse and the reinforcement of the child-labour unit has not resulted in increased convictions of those who exploit children.
To improve the situation, the Committee urges the State party to accelerate efforts to eliminate child labour. The State party should prioritize the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour, in particular girls working as domestic workers. The State party should ensure that legal proceedings are engaged against those who exploit children economically.

The Committee expresses its concern about the information provided by the delegation that children under the age of 15 cannot lodge complaints of violations of their rights if they are not assisted by their parents or their guardians. The Committee is also concerned that mechanisms to support children in reporting their claims have yet to be established.
The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to ensure children’s access to justice and effective remedy. The State party should, inter alia, develop safe, well-publicized, confidential and accessible reporting mechanisms for children, coupled with help-oriented services that offer public health and social support, and remove the condition that children must be assisted by their parents to make a complaint. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that persons receiving children’s complaints are provided with clear guidance and training and that child-sensitive investigation procedures are established.

While welcoming the significant progress made by the State party in terms of human development, the Committee is concerned that children overwhelmingly bear the brunt of poverty in the State party and remain insufficiently covered by the National Aid Fund. The Committee is also concerned that progress made by the State party over the reporting period to combat poverty is challenged by the adoption of financial policies aimed at reducing the national budget deficit. The Committee is further concerned that, owing to their lack of status, many Palestinian families live in poverty in the State party without access to the National Aid Fund or to free basic services.

Concluding observations on the fourth and fifth periodic reports released on 8 July 2014. More information about education in Jordan: https://moe.gov.jo