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AMMAN — Isolated from the world, not allowed to communicate with anyone or to leave the house, Monika, a domestic worker, said she suffered behind closed doors for months before she could escape from her “prison”. 

Monika is not her real name but was changed upon her request to protect her identity. 

Interviewed by The Jordan Times in November last year and then via e-mail recently, Monika said her dream was to make a decent living for her two-year-old baby. "All turned into a nightmare the moment I started work for my new employer."

“They picked me from the airport, but I immediately felt unwelcomed and I started crying” the 30-year-old women told The Jordan Times, a day after she ran away from her employer’s house in November and was hosted at the Jordanian Women
Union (JWU)’s shelter. 

During her stay at her employer's house, Monika recalled, she had experienced “slavery” in the form of long working hours, insufficient food and bad treatment.

 “I worked from 6am until 10 or 11pm … my breakfast and dinner was a small zeit and zaatar [olive oil and thyme mix] roll. I was not allowed to eat from their [family] food... cheese was only for them and my lunch was just the leftovers of the cooked meal. They brought me to replace a Bangladeshi maid, who told me that I must steal food to live, but I would never do such a thing." 

Monika said she lost weight, suffered anemia and ulcer after five months of work. 

“I wasn’t allowed to go to the bathroom at night, he [the employer] used to tell me if you want to go to bathroom at night you have to keep it until the morning…when I fell down from the ladder, he forced me to sleep in the bathroom when I asked them to allow me to have some rest."

She said that she used to communicate "secretly" with a neighbour familiar with her suffering, who helped her escape the house and seek help from Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights, an NGO concerned with labour and human rights. 

Reporting on labour exploitations 

Not all domestic workers are as a lucky as Monika to have someone to help them — many have no clue where to go or what to do, an advocate said.  

Linda Kalash, Tamkeen’s president said that because they are women and expats, domestic workers are more vulnerable to labour exploitation than any other guest workers.

“Domestic helpers live isolated, restricted freedom of movement and denied of their personal documents and belongings, including work permits, passports and mobile phones, which their employers confiscate. This makes them unable to speak out to demand their rights or report labour exploitations," Hadeel Abdul Aziz, director of Justice Centre for Legal Aid, has said in recent remarks to The Jordan Times.

Abdul Aziz explained that domestic workers’ low education and ignorance of their rights play a key role in rendering their situation this miserable.
But Monika disagreed.

"I hold a degree in business law. It is not a matter of ignorance of our rights but the restrictions imposed on us," Monika said. 

“Even if you know your rights, it is hard to come out and communicate to others because you don't have your phone and you don’t talk to anybody; how will you be able to express yourself and demand your rights?" 

According to Labour Ministry’s Spokesperson Mohammad Khatib, the ministry in 2017 dealt with 88 alleged human trafficking cases that were referred to the Public Security Department’s Anti-Human Trafficking Department. He also said that the ministry has dealt with 917 complaints from employers against domestic workers on various issues and a total of 2,090 complaints on absconding from employer. 

In the Kingdom, a domestic worker who absconds from her employer’s house and/or works for another employer without the permission of the first employer is considered illegal and becomes subject to detention and deportation. 

Kalash said that some domestic workers abscond their workplaces to escape labour exploitation. “But they become illegal anyway”. 

Under the 2015 bylaw regulating the work of domestic helpers’ recruitment agencies, Kalash said that a shelter for run-away workers was to be established, but “no such facility has been set up yet.”

Raising awareness 

Tamkeen and JWU are among the leading NGOs in the country supporting and helping domestic workers to obtain their rights. 

Tamkeen provides legal help and support to around 450 guest workers, either through paying overstay fines or arranging their travel back home in cooperation with their embassies and concerned authorities. 

For its part, JWU provides a shelter, social, psychological, medical and legal services as well as training and empowerment programmes to over 150 women annually, according to figures obtained from the facility. 

However, the director of Justice centre that also provides legal aid to domestic workers and conduct raising awareness campaigns to domestic workers said that reaching out to all those in need of help is usually difficult. 

“Still we cannot reach everyone; only those able to report their problems would be helped” Abdul Aziz stressed, calling for providing guest workers with brochures written in their languages that include contact information of their embassies, police and NGOs if they face abuse or labour exploitations. 

Although the Domestic Helpers Bylaw obliges the Labour Ministry to raise awareness and offer advice for both employers and workers to ensure a “good relation” between them through bringing them together for talks in cases of disputes, Khatib said: “It is not possible to meet 50.000 domestic workers.” He added that awareness campaigns usually target recruitment agencies directly or through media channels. 

Khatib stressed that the ministry has a complaints hotline (5802666 6 962+, extension 105 or 305) for guest workers in several languages with interpreters to help them report their problems. 

The National Centre for Human Rights recommended in its latest report raising employers’ and employees’ awareness about their labour rights, Jordanian Labour Law and Anti-Human Trafficking Law. 

Legal expert Ayman Halaseh said that abuse or mistreatment practiced against domestic workers cannot always be proved. “If a domestic worker files a complaint against her employer, the latter, in a countermove, lodges a lawsuit accusing her of stealing, for example.”

“A lawsuit against another makes the legal state of the domestic helper complicated, leading her to give up her rights and dues just to leave home,” Halaseh noted. 

Also, lengthy litigation process that takes one to two years forces domestic workers to give up some of their rights, Hussein Omari of the Adaleh Centre for Human Rights Studies said.

AMMAN — The American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan (AmCham) on Thursday launched the National Coalition of Trade and Investment Strategy dubbed “Tijara”.

AmCham-Jordan’s Chairman Mohammed Bataineh said that the strategy aims to improve mutual trade and enhance investment between Jordan and the US for 2018-2022.

The strategy seeks to maximise the potential economic benefits stemming out of the preferential trade relations represented by the Jordan-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Jordan-US Bilateral Investment Treaty, Bataineh noted.

During the launching ceremony, attended by representatives of the coalition’s 34 members, AmCham-Jordan CEO Rose Alissi presented a visual briefing on the strategy’s approach and targets, outlining its three areas of focus. 

The first covers priority sectors including fast moving consumer goods, chemicals, handicrafts and commercial services, in light of the surveys conducted on the two countries’ mutual trade and the types and practices of US consumers.

The second part includes the locations targeted by the strategy which are New York, Illinois, Michigan and California. They were chosen for economic and cultural reasons, based on their population’s economic and purchasing power, Alissi explained, noting that the third axis deals with designing interventions that address business needs. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Jordan Chamber of Industry’s President Adnan Abulragheb urged stakeholders to benefit from the Jordan-US agreements by diversifying their exports, among other actions.

The National Coalition “Tijara” is a public-private partnership  initiative which consists of ministries and economic agencies, representatives from the US Embassy in Amman and Jordanian Business Community, who work to ensure that the Jordan-US FTA reaches its full objectives, according to AmCham.

A member of the US Chamber of Commerce, AmCham-Jordan, is a voluntary not-for-profit member-based organisation that contributes to economic development through the promotion of US-Jordan-regional trade and investment, business development, public policy advocacy, human resources development and business community outreach. 

In 2015, the Kingdom’s exports to the US amounted to more than $1.4 billion compared to $63 million in 2000, when the FTA was signed.

Exports to the US accounted for 24 per cent of the total Jordanian exports in 2017, according to official statistics.

AMMAN — A group of Jordanians has been devoting their Saturdays to teach school children at the Jerash refugee camp, as part of the second season of their “Instil an Idea” initiative.

“Food is eaten, clothes become old, and money is spent, but only education lasts,” said the founder of the initiative, who preferred to go by the initials D.R., adding “our project is not for relief, but for development. We seek to give these children something sustainable that will make a difference in their lives and communities.”

Launched two weeks ago, the second edition of the initiative provides remedial classes in Arabic, English and Maths for third graders struggling at school.

“We focused on the third grade because it marks the end of the primary years, after which students will start to learn new things and earn advanced skills which are all built on what they are supposed to have learnt before,” D.R explained.

Volunteers include both university students and employees, who provide the children with worksheets, exercises, and handouts entirely designed by the initiative in line with the national curriculum, D.R. said, noting that any material is revised and edited by professional school teachers.

“The volunteers were trained by an experienced teacher on different methods and approaches before they started teaching,” the founder stressed.

Volunteer Farihan Al Sayyad, who already took part in last year’s season, said: “I used to be a mother of three children, but now I am the mother of many.”

Due to the low literacy levels among parents at the refugee camp, a number of school students need the additional care provided by the initiative. “I am building my community by teaching these children as we are not only instilling ideas but also values and morals,” Sayyad noted.

During the first season, the 10-member founding team assisted 86 students with the efforts of 72 volunteers; in the second season, they expect to reach 100 students with the help of 25 volunteers.

“We reduced the number of volunteers because we noticed that students progressed more when taught by the same person throughout the course,” the founder explained, adding “it is not always easy to ask children to come during the weekends to study, so our programme combines education and entertainment by involving various activities inside the class.”

She said they also give students “motivational gifts” received from donors such as clothes, shoes, or toys, in addition to taking them on trips to museums, cultural centres, or parks.

“I loved all my teachers and the programme was amazing,” said Omar Mahmoud, one of the participants in the first season.

“The programme did not only help children reach the average level at school, it helped them to excel. I noticed a great difference in my daughter’s performance, especially in Math and English. She can now read English texts fluently and she acquired a great vocabulary,” Zainab Ayyadh, a students parent told The Jordan Times.

“My daughter never felt obliged to attend on Saturdays. She was always very happy and enthusiastic to go,” she added.

For Syrian volunteer Hazem Al Da’as, “I felt like I should return the favour to Jordan and I cannot think of a better way to invest my time and efforts than by teaching a child.”

Volunteer Siba Obaid, who is a Syrian refugee herself, said: “I used to be living in a camp myself and I know how it feels to strive for education, so I was happy to take part in drawing a smile on these children’s faces.”

D.R. voiced her hope to expand to all the camps around the Kingdom, but stressed the lack of resources so far. “We preferred to focus our efforts on one place so we can measure the success of the idea and assess its results,” she explained, noting that the group is “more than happy to share their organisation plans, teaching curricula and activities with any entity or individual willing to replicate the project elsewhere”. 

“Just like any other children, these young people have ambitious hopes and dreams and they are willing to learn and develop,” Al Sayyad said, stressing “we can make their dreams come true if all segments of society partner in raising an educated generation that will build the bright future of the country.” 

AMMAN — The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan on Wednesday held the first Christian-Islamic celebration of the Annunciation under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Jamal Sarayrah, a CCSM statement said.

In the presence of bishops and heads of Churches in Jordan, representatives of the Iftaa Department, of the Chief Islamic Justice Department, of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and of several Islamic associations, Sarayrah stated: “We meet today to take part in the celebration marking the Feast of the Annunciation… considering the common denominators between Islam and Christianity, and believing that our success will only be attained through the success of everyone despite their various cultural backgrounds and ideologies.”

The ceremony also witnessed the attendance of members of Parliament, ambassadors, foreign and local media, a Lebanese delegation representing “the Christian-Muslim Meeting Around Mary”, in addition to Christian and Muslim believers.

“Over the years, Jordan has been consolidating relations among citizens based of the common denominator among religions: humanity. We have launched several initiatives under the guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah, which have been adopted worldwide as a basis for dialogue and brotherhood.”

In his opening address, CCSM director Rif’at Bader said: “Since His Majesty King Abdullah assumed his constitutional responsibilities, Christmas was marked as an official holiday for all citizens, and an annual meeting of the Jordanian united family has been conducted with His Majesty.” He also cited last year’s meeting at the Baptism Site which affirmed the Hashemite custodianship of the site.

“As we jointly celebrate Christmas, we are here today to set the foudation for a joint celebration of the Feast of Annunciation in order to have it added to the sublime Jordanian initiatives in the field of harmony,” Bader stated, adding that “the only allowed extremism is that relevant to love, brotherhood and altruism.”

He continued: “We have gathered today as one family to say that we support the establishment of new and distinguished relations between Muslims and Christians not only in our holy country, but throughout the world,” and stressed the centre’s support to the Amman Message, according to the statement . 

For his part, Secretary General of Lebanon’s “Christian-Muslim Meeting around Mary” Naji Al-Khoury voiced his hope to see the Islamic-Christian celebration also become an annual national holiday in Lebanon, stressing that “this marks a new stage in Christian-Muslim relations, as well as a flourishing stage of lasting friendship between the Jordanian and Lebanese peoples”.

The ceremony included readings from the Bible and the Quran as well as religious hymns by the Spring of Choir and Al Falah Choir, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — Three generations of Jordanian artists are currently on display at the Zara Gallery, as part of the group exhibition “From a Different Perspective”, offering the public an insight into Amman’s modern art scene.

Inaugurated earlier this month, the show includes the works of painters Ammar Khammash, Hani Alqam and Fadi Haddadin as well as sculptors Rula Atalla and Taghlib Oweis.

The established artists, emerging talents and young painters came together to express the aesthetic variations in reflecting the local society’s diversity of people, culture and landscapes.

“These five artists express the synergy between the visible and the invisible, accompanying the viewer in an intriguing journey from outside the surface entering through the layers,” said Dana Rousan, director of the gallery, adding “their work provide a connection between familiar and unfamiliar places, allowing the public to see beyond than just the surface”.

Upon entering the gallery, the visitor’s attention is drawn to the young painter Haddadin’s colourful piece, which mixes restless brush strokes with subtly chosen palates.

"I loved Haddadin colourful piece, with heavy and thick oil strokes. I truly look forward to the day this young artist finds his niche, as I love his talent and energy," commented art critic Dina Dabbas Rifai following the exhibition.

Considered as one of the more prominent artists of the 21st century Middle East, Khammash's paintings convey a similarly unsettling impression, depicting natural landscapes that encompass geology and biology in a very personal way.

“His paintings are not just old-fashioned depictions of place. He has walked alone through these places and has experienced them not just as a physical surface but also as an accreditation of disciplines and multiple expressions. The work transmits the richness of the place," art critic Trish Edelstein said of Khammash's art.

In a less abstract yet similarly captivating manner, Alqam’s “Dreams of a Soufi” leaves the visitor mesmerised by a combination of thick paint and strokes that seek to portray society’s frailty and complexities.

“As an expressive painter, I use my brush to portray the society around me, the human and his movements, and the person’s memory,” he explained, stressing “to me, ordinary faces play an important role in my thoughts; they provoke and instigate unknown things to me and further allow me to step into their mass where I try to see the world through their eyes in order to absorb and understand to satisfy my curious mind.”

A self-taught artist, Oweis uses the mountainous area of his Ajloun childhood as an inspiration for his sculptures, which reflect the infinite possibilities of a natural material: stone.

“I believe that besides techniques and strategies, sculpture in its essence is not a preplanned action; instead, it is an improvisation of a piece which finds its way through the artist,” he noted, stressing the sculptor’s freedom to shape any desired creation.

The show also displayed Atalla’s stone and ceramics creations, offering the viewers an unusual take on expressive art. Recognised for the homeware works that brought her family company Silsal Design House to the forefront of the regional creative scene, Atalla recently started experiencing more adventurous territories, such as the ones on display in “From a Different Perspective”. 

The exhibition, which is free of charge, will run through April 5.

AMMAN — The Children's Museum in Jordan has completed preparations of the "Ideas Box", a new educational station of the Children's Mobile Museum, which aims to enrich the learning experiences of children across the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday.

The Ideas Box, developed by Libraries Without Borders, is an interactive multi-media centre and a portable library made out of four boxes that can be expanded and set up to provide access to a range of educational programmes and applications stimulating the creativity of its users.

The box has 27 computers and tablets, a cinema screen, a film projector as well as chairs and tables for children, in addition to a library containing a number of books and stories.

"The new addition will positively influence the educational experience of the mobile museum's visitors, both children and adults," said Sawsan Dalaq, Children's Museum director.

For Teresa Castilho, Jordan regional manager of Libraries Without Borders, the inclusion of the Ideas Box to the mobile museum "means reaching more children in several areas, which is one of the main goals of Libraries Without Borders in its efforts to promote knowledge". 

The Children’s Museum Jordan is a non-profit educational institution launched by Her Majesty Queen Rania in 2007. It offers over 180 indoor and outdoor interactive exhibits and educational facilities, such as the Library, Art Studio, Thinker Lab and Secret Garden, along with year-round educational programmes, events and shows. Since its opening, the Children’s Museum Jordan has received more than 2.5 million visitors.

AMMAN — A volunteering team of teenagers is aspiring to change the atmosphere inside Azmi Mufti refugee camp through “Let’s Change it Together”, an initiative aimed at fighting issues taking place at schools and in environments surrounding children through interactive theatre, group games and awareness sessions. 

Founded in November 2017, the initiative emerged as an output of one of the life skills training implemented by the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) in cooperation with UNICEF, which aimed to develop the capacities of youth to contribute to the development of their communities. 

“The theatre performances interpreted by the volunteers address issues such as school violence, racism, gender discrimination or early marriage,” coordinator of the initiative Ahmed Shtayat told The Jordan Times, noting that the plays are ultimately presented to decision makers to create an impact within the community. 

“The selection of the themes is done according to the most pressing issues happening within the camp,” the activist pointed out, stressing that the problems addressed in the plays are “in dire need of a solution, and our aim is to shed light on them”.

“My participation in this initiative has changed my life both at the personal and social level,” 17-year-old volunteer Mutaz Khalid told The Jordan Times, noting that the project has helped him “find new ways to deal with the issues affecting the community”.

“When I play my part and I see my peers interacting to solve the issues that affect us, I am filled with this wonderful spirit,” he added, expressing hopes for the initiative to “convey a positive image of the camp and its youth”.

The team is composed of teenagers from 16 to 18 years old who “aim to deliver a message for the communities to help youth develop their abilities and use their potential to initiate a positive change in the society”, Shtayat said. 

Through several partnerships with civil society organisations in the area of Bani Obaid, the initiative has now established new activities in Aydoun and Ramtha (Irbid), and it now aims to reach all parts of the province during the following year, according to Shtayat. 

Co-founder of the initiative Ali Jamel Salahat recalled: “It started with small plays, but kept on evolving to change ourselves and the community at the camp; I hope that the project will continue growing."

The initiative was also beneficial for volunteer Shorooq Sarhan, who stressed that the plays have helped her develop social her social skills and better communicate with the society. But the real added value for her was “the way in which it helps girls within our community express their own views about some issues and deliver them to the society”. 

"There are still a number of negative behaviours that we need to change,” the volunteer stressed.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture has referred the case of the disappearance of dozens of fallow deer from a fenced-off reserve in Jerash Governorate’s Dibeen Forest to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission, a government official said on Thursday.

In mid-February, the ministry received information that the number of fallow deer in the reserve did not match the animal’s number on paper, the government official said, indicating that an administrative committee then started an investigation into the case.

“The committee carried out a 30-day investigation and gathered substantial information. The committee’s report showed that there should be some 300 fallow deer in the reserve, while the actual number stood at 200. This indicated that 100 had somehow disappeared,” the government official told The Jordan Times, noting that the ministry referred the case to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission on March 23.

“An investigation is currently ongoing therefore, it is not possible to reveal more information,” the official highlighted.

The ministry set up the 160-dunnum reserve over a decade ago to protect fallow deer, categorised by the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as a species of “least concern”, according to the official.

The reserve is situated on a hilltop in Dibeen Forest Reserve, some 48km north of Amman.

The forest, which extends over 8.5sq.km of mountainous topography rich with pine and oak trees, is home to at least 17 threatened species, in addition to over a quarter of the butterfly species existing in the Kingdom. It also represents the driest place in the world in which Aleppo pines grow naturally.

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Jamal Sarayreh on Thursday stressed the importance of citizens’ participation in the decision making process, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Heading a ministerial team that visited Mafraq and met with officials and civil society representatives, Sarayreh stressed the government’s keenness on listening to citizens’ concerns and demands and on following up on issues related to service provision.

Sarayrah said that the government will respond to the demands without procrastination or delay and implement the service and development projects of Mafraq, 80km northeast of Amman, according to Petra.

He also noted that the government is following a “transformative approach” to deliver the demanded services in a way that people can see on the ground.

Responding to the demands, Minister of Municipal Affairs Walid Masri said that the ministry will develop Hssenyiat Landfill into an environmental one, noting that the Akeider Landfill has been rehabilitated at a total cost of $40 million.

Municipalities within the borders of Mafraq governorate will be supplied with 450,000 energy-efficient bulbs, Masri added.

Education Minister Omar Razzaz said that the ministry has built a number of schools in the northeastern city of Mafraq and has added classroom to already existing ones all at a total cost of JD6.5  million, Petra said.

Water Minister Ali Ghezawi said that the ministry’s water projects 2016-2019 in the governorate cost JD40 million.

Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab said that Mafraq has six hospitals with a capacity of 491 beds, in addition to 91 healthcare centres. Sheyyab said that Mafraq’s hospitals suffer from a shortage in the number of specialist doctors which led to purchasing services of private-sector doctors.

Public Works and Housing Minister Sami Halasa outlined some projects that the ministry is currently implementing in Mafraq, including opening and reconstruction of roads.

He said that the ministry will float tenders to build nine schools and six healthcare centres.

For Social Development Minister Hala Lattouf, she called for creating a coalition for the governorate’s charity societies, noting that the ministry is working on finding jobs for beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund.

State Minister for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh said there are 21 investment projects in Mafraq valding JD11 million, of which 17 are of industrial nature.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) on Thursday received World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Chungwon Choue, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Prince Feisal expressed his pride in Choue’s visit that comes as part of strengthening relations between the JOC and international sports associations and organisations.

Choue commended the development in taekwondo in Jordan during the past few years, especially during the last Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro when Ahmad Abu Ghaush achieved Jordan’s first Olympic gold medal in Taekwondo. Choue, accompanied by JOC Secretary General Nasser Majali, visited the Olympic preparatory centre and was briefed on the services it provides.