'Work under way to open shelter for domestic helpers'

AMMAN — A shelter for domestic workers is in the pipeline at the Labour Ministry, in an initiative that aims at resolving issues facing domestic helpers in Jordan, an official source said on Saturday. 

The projected facility will have the capacity to accommodate around 300 residents, while being responsible for protecting them and resolving their problems, whether by sending them back to their countries, finding new employers or rectifying their legal status, according to Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nijmeh. 

"The shelter will receive those who do not want to work for their employers anymore or want to find new ones, and those who want to go back to their counties," he told The Jordan Times, adding that the ministry will "keep open channels with their respective embassies".   

The ministry is currently preparing the mechanisms and standards required to open the shelter, which will be in line with international standards, the official said.

"The ministry is coordinating with the ministries of interior and social development as well as the Public Security Department and its women police division to draw up the criteria for the facility," Abu Nijmeh told The Jordan Times. 

“The shelter will be designed to provide temporary housing for domestic helpers until their problems and complaints are resolved. This needs careful preparations to ensure the decency of the place," he noted, adding that the ministry will also coordinate with civil society organisations in this regard. 

As preparations are still under way for the shelter, Abu Nijmeh said it is still early to announce the opening date.

There are currently 52,000 domestic workers in Jordan, according to the Labour Ministry's latest figures.  

A study conducted by Tamkeen Fields for Aid last year showed that the number of irregular domestic workers stands at 30,000.

A by-law that seeks to improve the rights of domestic helpers was published in the Official Gazette last year, stipulating several measures, including the establishment of a shelter for domestic helpers who leave their employers.