Development Blogs.com

Earlier this week, Jordan’s Queen Rania spoke at the second Arab Substantiality Leadership Group meeting in Amman. She moderated a panel discussion on “Sustainable Development and Youth Employment in the Arab World.” This topic is of crucial importance: the rate of youth unemployment in the Middle East is the highest in the world and the number of unemployed people under 30 could increase from the current 15 million to 100 million by 2020 – a situation described by the Queen as a “ticking time bomb” that has to be defused before it causes social unrest. Queen Rania urged making school curricula more relevant to the needs of the labor market, encouraging innovative private-public employment partnerships, and offering internship opportunities in order to bridge the “gap...

Humanitarian Action and Older Persons: An Essential Brief for Humanitarian Actors (IASC, Oct. 2008) [text via ReliefWeb] Isolated, Exploited, Abused: Jordan's women migrant domestic workers (Amnesty International, Oct. 2008) [access] Manual for the Health Care of Children in Humanitarian Emergencies(WHO, Oct. 2008) [text] OECD Factbook 2008: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics...

Reforms Fail to Tackle Abuse, Impunity Persists Jordan should end routine and widespread torture in its prisons, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Human Rights Watch called on the government to overhaul mechanisms for investigating, disciplining and prosecuting abusers, and in particular to transfer prosecutor’s investigations into prison abuse from police to civilian prosecutors....

US, EU Should Condition Aid on Kingdom’s Rights Record Prime Minister Nader Dahabi should withdraw two new draft laws on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and public assembly from consideration by parliament, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the prime minister. The draft law on NGOs would further expand the government’s wide control over establishing, operating, and funding NGOs. The draft law on assembly would continue to restrict Jordanians’ right to congregate, requiring the Ministry of Interior’s approval for meetings that discuss “public policies.”...

Police Investigation Ignores Evidence, Intimidates Witnesses King Abdullah should order an independent investigation into the events surrounding the deaths on April 14 of three prisoners at al-Muwaqqar prison east of Amman, Human Rights Watch said today. Despite ample evidence of misconduct, and potentially criminal acts by prison officials, police authorities told Human Rights Watch that their investigation into the incident will vindicate the prison officials, setting out that they acted correctly....

Asylum Law and Female Genital Mutilation: Recent Developments (Congressional Research Service, Feb. 2008) [text] Iraqi Asylum Seekers in Jordan: A Report of the ICMC-USCCB Mission to Assess the Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum Seekers in Jordan (International Catholic Migration Commission, Dec. 2007) [text] The Meeting Room: Libraries as Community Centers for Culturally Diverse Populations...

US and EU Should Condition Funding on Respect, Independence for Civil Society Jordan should change its laws that severely restrict public assembly and the freedom and independence of nongovernmental organizations, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today....

Several recent reports review the situation of Iraqi refugees generally and in neighboring countries: General: "Iraq: Growing Needs Amid Continuing Displacement," Forced Migration Review, no. 29 (Nov. 2007) [text] Egypt: "Iraqi Refugees in Egypt," Forced Migration Review, no. 29 (Nov. 2007) [text] Jordan: Study of Iraqis in Jordan (Fafo, Nov. 2007) [access] Lebanon: Rot Here or Die There:...

Political Prosecution Is Assault on Free Speech Jordan’s military prosecutor should halt the politically motivated prosecution of government critic Ahmad al-Oweidi al-‘Abbadi, Human Rights Watch said today. Jordan is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Friday, September 28....

Human Rights Watch Concludes Visit to Prisons, Intelligence Detention Center The Jordanian government urgently needs to address the beatings and other serious abuses that are rampant in its prisons, Human Rights Watch said today following a two-week visit to the country....

Iraqis Still Denied Refugee Status The Jordanian government in a welcome step has pledged to provide public health care and education to Iraqis living in Jordan regardless of their legal status, but continues to refuse to recognize them as refugees, Human Rights Watch said today....

First Visit by Independent Experts The Jordanian intelligence agency has agreed to allow independent human rights monitoring organizations to visit prisoners at its secretive detention facility for the first time, Human Rights Watch said today....

Authorities Muzzling Opponents Despite New Law The Jordanian government should drop all criminal charges of “slanderous speech” against former parliamentarian Ahmad Oweidi al-`Abbadi and release him without delay, Human Rights Watch said today. The government continues to use laws that violate international human rights standards to silence critics even though a new law prohibits imprisonment for speech offenses....

New research publications:Burma: The Changing Nature of Displacement Crises, RSC Working Paper No. 39, by A. South (Feb. 2007) [text]Contemporary slavery in the UK, by G. Craig et al, Joseph Roundtree Foundation (Feb. 2007) [site]Human Security Research (22 Feb. 2007) [access]- Current issue focuses on the security realities confronting humanitarian aid workers."Refugee Resettlement in Metropolitan America," by A. Singer and J.H. Wilson, in Migration Information Source (March 2007) [text]New research projects:Environmental Change and Forced Migration Scenarios [web site]- Two-year project that will look into environmental changes/degradation that cause forced migration. Unlike other research, this study will consider "multiple environmental problems and socio-political and demographical...

More Than 1 Million in the Region in Need of Protection, Aid After fleeing violence and persecution in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis living in Jordan face a daily threat of arrest, fines and deportation because the Jordanian government treats them as illegal immigrants rather than refugees, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. When US President George W. Bush meets King Abdullah in Amman tomorrow, he must offer to assist Jordan in protecting Iraqi refugees and insist Amman stops sending them back into mortal danger....

Government Must Investigate Torture Allegations Jordan’s General Intelligence Department (GID) frequently carries out arbitrary arrests and abuses suspects in its own detention facility, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Many suspects are held in incommunicado detention but never charged with a crime and eventually released without trial....

Government Must Keep Promise to End Abusive Practices The government of Jordan must not roll back on its commitment to fully respect freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. Rather than implement the reforms it promised, the government of Prime Minister Ma’ruf al-Bakhit is giving the intelligence agencies, the police and prosecutors free rein to clamp down on legitimate speech....

International Community Should Resettle Refugees Jordan should immediately reopen its border to Palestinian refugees fleeing violence in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should assist Jordan by offering to resettle these Iraqi Palestinian refugees in third countries acceptable to them....

Jordan, Yemen, Algeria Must Free Journalists The governments of Jordan, Yemen and Algeria should immediately drop criminal charges against editors and journalists who reproduced controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in their publications, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also called on Yemen, Algeria and Malaysia to immediately lift bans on newspapers closed in recent days for printing the caricatures....

King Must Act to End Abuses King Abdullah needs to root out continuing serious rights abuses in Jordan, Human Rights Watch said today. President Bush should call on Jordan to take steps to end torture, especially by the General Intelligence Department, when he meets with the king tomorrow....

Authorities Revert to Silencing Critics Through Repressive National Security Laws The Jordanian government should immediately drop national security charges against Jamil Abu Bakr for posting articles written by parliamentarians on an opposition party website more than a year ago, Human Rights Watch said today....