AMMAN — The Information and Research Centre at the King Hussein Foundation (IRCKHF), on Wednesday released its policy paper, highlighting challenges faced by Egyptian workers in the Kingdom’s labour market. The policy paper comes as part of a wider project initiated in 2022. It casts light on labour violations and contract breaches, as well as the current employment regimes of Egyptian workers who are usually employed by intermediaries who facilitate the recruitment of migrant workers in Jordan. Speaking during the launch event, Director of Tamkeen Linda Kalash said that Jordan’s migrant workers come predominantly from Egypt and yet they face dire conditions. She highlighted that among the major issues facing Egyptian workers in Jordan is obtaining the clearance paper upon contract completion. Plenty of employers create obstacles for Egyptian employees, occasionally refusing to grant them the clearance. She noted that safeguarding the rights of migrant workers contributes directly to immediate economic growth. IRCKHF Director Ayman Halaseh said that Jordan held the 23rd place on the 2023 Global Slavery Index. Speaking during the session, Head of the Workers’ House Hamada Abu Nijmeh said that “current realities show that there are discriminatory practices… and the sponsorship system is practiced”. The system of sponsorship known locally as “Kafala” ties migrant worker’s fate to the employer’s decision, thereby facilitating major labour abuses in the Kingdom, Abu Nijmeh explained. He stressed the imperativeness of breaking free from the sponsorship system, and the need to develop transparent mechanisms for handling migrant workers in a proper and equitable manner. “There is a clear legal violation and there is a clear distinction happening when we speak about the contracts of Jordanian and Egyptian workers in Jordan… the abuses are serious,” he said. The labour law should be applied without any form of discrimination, he added.