12-06-2024 | di COOPI

Jordan. Towards reduction of child labour in all its forms

In order to prevent and combat child labour, in Jordan COOPI operates in alignment with the national narrative ‘Childhood and Dreams, Not Work and Illusions’, committed in preventive strategies and response interventions. For this reason, this year COOPI participates in the national campaign to prevent child labour, run by the Child Labour Task Force of the National Council for Family Affairs and co-led by Plan-Jordan, which offers a series of activities held by national, local, and international agencies to prevent and respond to child labour especially child labour in hazardous professions. The events are held in different locations in Jordan targeting law enforcement personnel, CSOs, children, caregivers, and media entities.

Since March 2023, COOPI has been implementing in the county the project “Sanadak - protection and inclusion for vulnerable adolescents in the governorates of Irbid, Karak and Zarqa,” funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), which offers services of social protection for children and families in need.

Through its caseload, COOPI assessed the protection needs of 506 vulnerable children and adolescents in the most disadvantaged areas in Zarqa, Irbid, and Karak and provided case management and structured psychosocial support services where child labour is among the prevalent and alarming protection issues across the three targeted governorates.

Notably, boys are engaged in hazardous professions such as carpentry, agriculture, loading and unloading, child begging, delivery, in street coffee shops, in restaurants, in street vending, among other works. Whereas, girls mostly work in beauty salons, domestic work, and in retail shops to support their personal and family needs. Associated risks revolve around children intermittently attending the schools, some were completely out of schools, some are being physically, emotionally, or verbally abused by peers and employers, and all of them are experiencing exploitative working conditions especially when it comes to long working hours and getting low pays and also constantly feeling fatigued and emotionally distressed. These risks are compounded when children are with disabilities.

COOPI supported more than 150 children and adolescents to stay in the formal education, and to address root causes of child labour. Through social protection schemes provided through Sanadak project, children were supported to integrate in schools and support their basic and educational needs such as transportation to schools, daily allowance, clothing, stationery, and other school supplies.

In Jordan COOPI is a member of the Child Labour Task Force, and its protection interventions are aligned with relevant national policies, such as the National Strategy to Prevent Child Labour and its Action Plan (2022-2030) and the National Framework to Prevent Child Labour.