isolated and abused: women migrant domestic workers in jordan...

tens of thousands of women migrant domestic workers in jordan face isolation, exploitation and abuse, with little or no protection from the state...migrant domestic workers are crucial to the economy in jordan, contributing to the well-being of the households where they work and providing vital incomes for their own families and communities...many face exploitation and abuse:

• many work 16 to 19 hours daily, with no day off
• physical, psychological and sexual abuse is common
• many are effectively held captive in their employers’ home
• many women are not paid some or all of their meagre wages, sometimes for years

until this summer, the labour law in jordan excluded domestic workers from the protection offered to other workers, such as minimum wage provisions, sick leave, or days off...amendments were endorsed by the jordanian parliament to state that a separate regulation will be issued to define the terms of their working conditions...although this is a step forward, more needs to be done to ensure that the rights of women migrant domestic workers are protected in line with international human rights standards...

call on the government of jordan to ensure new measures effectively protect the rights of women migrant domestic workers...

peace out <3