Jordan's Ministry of Labor recorded 96 child labor cases in the first half of 2026, according to data from the ministry's central inspection directorate cited by Al-Ghad. Ninety-four of the cases involved boys and two involved girls.
اضافة اعلان
Jordanian nationals accounted for 73 of the children, while 18 were Syrian, two were Egyptian, and three held other nationalities, the data showed.
Inspectors visited 2,198 establishments during the period as part of field campaigns to monitor and track child employment. The ministry issued 35 violations against employers and 109 warnings, of which 73 were corrected, as part of its enforcement of labor law provisions on child employment. The ministry said it continues to run inspection and awareness programs targeting the practice, working with partner agencies under a policy of zero tolerance for child labor.
A Stronger Legal Framework
Hamada Abu Nijmeh, head of the Workers' House (Bayt Al-Amal), said Jordan's legal framework for curbing child labor has grown more robust, pointing to the country's ratification of major international conventions and the modernization of national legislation. He cited the 2022 Child Rights Law and the 2024 Juvenile Protection System, which he said gave the Ministry of Social Development a larger role and broader authority to intervene and manage cases.
Abu Nijmeh described the National Strategy to Reduce Child Labor (2022-2030) as a central pillar for unifying national efforts, combining education, oversight and social protection. He added that the strategy's success depends on regular monitoring and transparent evaluation to ensure it is implemented effectively.
He also pointed to progress in institutional coordination, including a partnership between government bodies and civil society organizations to complete a unified electronic case-management system, and an expansion by the Ministry of Education of non-formal education programs aimed at children who have dropped out of school.
Abu Nijmeh said digital reporting channels, including the "Himaya" (Protection) platform and a dedicated website, childlabor.mol.gov.jo, which received 14 reports in the first half of the year, have strengthened public oversight of the issue.
He welcomed the ministry's move to diversify inspection hours to include evenings, noting that 36 awareness activities were held for employers and workers during the period. He called the shift an important step toward curbing violations that occur outside official working hours, adding that the inspection system could be expanded further if resources and institutional readiness allow.
Poverty and Education Gaps Cited
The Jordanian Labor Watch offered a different perspective, tying the problem to poverty and the deterioration of public education.The group said rising poverty and a weakening public school system are pushing children into the labor market at an early age, depriving them of their basic rights to education and care. It argued that the current approach still leans toward enforcement measures rather than addressing the underlying causes.
The watchdog said overcrowded classrooms, staff shortages and unwelcoming school environments are driving higher dropout rates, which combine with mounting economic pressure on families to push more children into work.
It warned that current indicators point to an upward trend compared with a 2016 survey, which estimated 75,000 working children in Jordan.
The group linked the rise to increasing poverty rates, which it put at about 24 percent according to official data and 35 percent according to World Bank estimates, alongside an unemployment rate of 21 percent
The Jordanian Labor Watch said addressing child labor requires comprehensive solutions centered on fighting poverty and unemployment, raising wages, expanding social protection networks and reforming public schools to reduce dropout rates and better protect children.
