CRC/C/JOR/CO/4-5
Below is a short summary of some of the key issues from the Committee on the Rights of the Child's 66th session concluding observations for Jordan. Read the full text, and you can find other documents related to the Committee's 66th session (including alternative reports submitted by NGOs and the Committee's concluding observations for other States reviewed in this session) on the Committee’s session page.
Non-discrimination: The Committee recommends that the State party abolish the discriminatory classifications of children as “illegitimate” or “ children victims of lascivious conduct” and adopt a proactive and comprehensive strategy to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination on any grounds and against all groups of children in marginalised or disadvantaged situations. The Committee also urges the State party to immediately release women and girls arbitrarily placed in custody and to establish appropriate shelters and mechanism for their protection. The State party should revise the Interim Status Code Act and ensure that all provisions that discriminate against women and girls and negatively impact their children be repealed and review its legislation relating to the custody of the child and remove provisions that discriminate against children of non-Muslim mothers.
Right to nationality: The Committee reiterates its recommendation that the State party review and amend the Jordanian Nationality Act (Law No. 6 of 1954) in order to ensure that a Jordanian mother married to a non-Jordanian man has the right to confer her nationality to her children equally and without discrimination. The Committee also urges the State party to put an end to the removal of Jordanian nationality of Palestinian refugee families residing in Jordan.
Family care: The Committee recommends that the State party take active measures to accelerate the transition from institutionalisation to family-based care for children.The State party should also provide unmarried mothers with support to enable them to take care of their child and conduct awareness raising campaigns to eliminate the stigma attached to out of wedlock pregnancy.
Best interests of the child: The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that this right is appropriately integrated and consistently applied in all legislative, administrative and judicial proceedings as well as in all policies, programmes and projects that are relevant to and have an impact on children. In this regard, the State party is encouraged to develop procedures and criteria to provide guidance to all relevant professionals.
Right to be heard: The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to ensure the effective implementation of legislation recognising the right of the child to be heard in relevant legal proceedings as well as conduct research to identify the issues that are most important to children and the channels through which they currently and potentially have the most influence on national and local decision-making.
Corporal punishment: The Committee urges the State party to repeal without delay article 62 of the Penal Code and unequivocally prohibit corporal punishment in all settings and ensure that laws prohibiting corporal punishment are effectively implemented and that legal proceedings are systematically initiated against those responsible.
Abuse and neglect: The Committee urges the State party to accord a higher priority to effectively implementing its recommendations of 2006 (CRC/C/JOR/CO/3 para. 55), in particular to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent and to respond to domestic violence and to develop an effective system for the identification, reporting and managing of child abuse. The Committee also urges the State party to adopt as a matter of priority a law criminalising all forms of domestic violence.
Sexual exploitation and abuse: The Committee urges the State party to expeditiously repeal article 308 and 310 of the Penal Code and all legal provisions that can be used as an excuse for the perpetrator of child sexual abuse. The Committee further urges the State party to establish mechanisms, procedures and guidelines to ensure mandatory and child-friendly reporting of cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Child marriage: The Committee urges the State party to take active measures to put an end to the practice of early and forced marriages. The Committee also reiterates its recommendation (CRC/C/JOR/CO/3 para 28) that the State party conduct awareness-raising campaigns concerning the many negative consequences resulting from early marriages.
Access to justice and remedies: The Committee urges the State party to take all necessary measures to ensure children’s access to justice and effective remedy. The State party should, amongst others, develop safe, well-publicised, confidential and accessible reporting mechanisms. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that child-sensitive investigation procedures be established.
Children with disabilities: The Committee urges the State party to adopt and promote the social and human rights based approach of disability. The State party should amend article 2 of Law 31/2007 to reflect the social model of disability and set up a comprehensive policy to develop inclusive education.
Health and health services: The Committee recommends that the State party ensure equal access to quality health services by all children, through the adoption of measures aimed at prioritising children in the most disadvantaged and marginalised situations, especially child refugees, and by addressing child malnutrition and infectious diseases. The State party should also take the necessary measures for all children to be properly covered by health insurance.
Sexual and reproductive health: The Committee urges the State party to decriminalise abortion and review its legislation with a view notably to guaranteeing the best interests of pregnant teenagers and ensure that the views of the child always be heard and respected in abortion decisions. The Committee also recommends that the State party adopt a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health policy.
HIV/AIDS: The Committee recommends that the State party improve access to quality, age-appropriate HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health information and services.
Standard of living: The State party should ensure that the National Aid Fund gives priority to children living in poverty and that child impact assessment of policies and measures aimed at reducing the national budget deficit be conducted. The Committee urges the State party to address the legal status of Palestinian families residing in the State party and to ensure that Palestinian children are provided with free basic services and are covered by the National Aid Fund.
Education: The Committee urges the State party to take immediate measures to ensure that all children living in the State party enjoy their right to free primary education without discrimination and, to this end, amend legislation and address practices which lead to the discrimination of children of Palestinian origin and of children of Jordanian mothers and non-Jordanian fathers and ensure that pregnant teenagers and adolescent mothers are supported and assisted in continuing their education in mainstream schools.
Aims of education: The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to generalise non-stereotyped educational curricula that address structural causes of gender discrimination. The Committee also recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to include education to tolerance and peace in the school curricula.
Asylum-seeking and refugee children: The Committee urges the State party to take all appropriate measures and specific programs to improve the living conditions of Syrian refugee children, ensuring access to services and protection. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that no Palestinian refugee children fleeing Syria be prevented from entering Jordan or deported back to Syria and that they receive the same treatment as Syrian children in the State party.
Child labour: The Committee urges the State party to accelerate efforts to eliminate child labour. The State party should prioritise the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour, in particular girls working as domestic workers. The State party should ensure that legal proceedings be engaged against those who economically exploit children.
Children in street situations: The Committee urges the State party to ensure that no child in street situations be arrested and detained but assisted by trained street counsellors, provided with care and protection including educational opportunities.
Sale, trafficking and abduction: The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts for an effective implementation of the Human Trafficking Act No. 9 of 2009 and to effectively prosecute, convict, and punish child traffickers with penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime. The State party should ensure that no child victims be placed in detention facilities but provided with comprehensive protective and rehabilitation services.
Administration of juvenile justice: The Committee recommends that the State party strengthen its efforts to build a system of restorative and rehabilitative juvenile justice fully in line with the Convention. The Committee urges the State party to adopt and amend the Juvenile Bill raising the age of criminal responsibility to an internationally acceptable level and to establish specialised juvenile courts. The State party should ensure that detention is used as a measure of last resort.
Child victims and witnesses of crimes: The Committee also recommends that the State party ensure, through adequate legal provisions and regulations, that all children who are victims and/or witnesses of crimes are provided with the protection required by the Convention and that the State party take fully into account the United Nations Guidelines on Justice in Matters Involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime.
