Amman, June 11, 2026
Jordanian Labor Watchhas warned that a range of accumulated economic and social indicators observedin Jordan over recent years suggest a significant increase in child laborcompared to the levels documented by the last comprehensive national fieldsurvey conducted in 2016. The organization stressed that continued reliance ondata that is nearly a decade old undermines efforts to accurately understandthe true scale of the phenomenon and limits the effectiveness of policies andprograms designed to address it.
In a research reportreleased on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labor, Jordanian LaborWatch noted that the latest national study estimated the number of workingchildren in Jordan at approximately 75,000, including around 45,000 engaged inwork classified as hazardous. However, Jordan has not conducted a new nationalsurvey since then to assess the scale and trends of child labor in light of theeconomic and social transformations the country has experienced.
Jordanian Labor Watchemphasized that child labor should not be viewed solely as a legal orregulatory violation, but rather as a direct reflection of deeper structuralchallenges related to poverty, low wages, weak social protection systems, andthe expansion of the informal economy.
According to thereport, a working child does not merely represent a violation of children'srights; rather, it reflects a household facing mounting economic pressures, alabor market that fails to provide sufficient income for adults, and a socialprotection system that remains unable to reach all vulnerable groups in need.
The report pointed outthat the years following the 2016 survey were marked by successive crises, mostnotably the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures andrising living costs, persistently high unemployment rates, increasing povertylevels, and declining purchasing power due to low wages. These challenges havebeen compounded by the indirect effects of rapidly evolving regionaldevelopments, particularly the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has contributedto slowdowns in certain economic, commercial, and tourism activities, as wellas repeated increases in the prices of goods, services, and fuel.
Jordanian Labor Watchexplained that these developments have intensified financial pressures onhouseholds, particularly low-income families, prompting some to adopt harshcoping mechanisms, including sending children to work in order to supplementhousehold income.
The report highlightedthat the growing phenomenon of the “working poor” has become one of the keyfactors behind the persistence of child labor. Having employed family membersis no longer sufficient to lift households out of poverty or secure a decentstandard of living, given the widening gap between wages and living costs.
Jordanian Labor Watchadded that the majority of child labor is concentrated within the informaleconomy, including agriculture, small workshops, family-owned businesses, andstreet vending. These sectors are characterized by weak oversight and theabsence of social protection, making it more difficult to identify workingchildren and exposing them to greater risks of exploitation and harm.
The report alsoreferred to recent field studies reviewed by Jordanian Labor Watch, whichindicate the continued employment of children in the agricultural sector. Manyare engaged in exhausting and hazardous activities, including intensive manualharvesting, the use of sharp tools, and work under harsh climatic conditions,often without adequate rest periods.
Jordanian Labor Watchstressed that the persistence of child labor over several decades, despitenumerous national strategies and action plans, demonstrates that the coreproblem does not lie in the absence of legislation. Rather, it stems from thecontinued reproduction of the economic and social conditions that push childreninto the labor market.
The organizationfurther emphasized that reducing child labor requires moving beyond a narrowinspection- and enforcement-based approach toward a comprehensivedevelopment-oriented strategy that addresses poverty, in-work poverty, andeconomic vulnerability. Such an approach should include raising wages,improving education, expanding social protection, and reducing the size of theinformal economy, alongside strengthening the monitoring and inspectioncapacities of the Ministry of Labor.
In conclusion,Jordanian Labor Watch called for the urgent implementation of a new nationalchild labor survey to provide updated and accurate data that would help assessthe true scale and trends of the phenomenon and support the development of moreeffective policies to protect children and prevent their entry into the labormarket.