Jana Ababneh (NYU GSAS) | Save the Children Jordan| Amman, Jordan
Even though Jordan was one of the first countries to sign the Child’s Rights Convention (CRC), the reality is that the commitments Jordan made under the CRC are not being upheld. Around 76,000 children are working in Jordan, with 60% of them in dangerous jobs. Refugee kids from Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and other conflict zones are the most vulnerable, often forced to leave school and work due to their families’ poverty, which just keeps the cycle of poverty going.
This summer, I’m teaming up with Save the Children Jordan, which is a local organization affiliated with Save the Children International and is dedicated to helping children. They focus on protecting children’s rights, ensuring they get an education, and supporting the health and livelihoods of refugees and impoverished families. Save the Children Jordan does amazing work, from advocating for children’s rights to running early education programs and tackling issues like child abuse, labor, and marriages.
I’ll be contributing to their efforts, especially their recent push for the implementation of a progressive Child’s Rights Law in Jordan. The coming year is crucial for setting up ways to enforce it and make a difference. Currently, Jordan’s approach to child labor involves detaining kids caught in illegal activities, which just exposes them to more harm rather than solving the problem.
I’ve worked with Save the Children and their partners before, and now I’m excited to be part of their “Work: No Child’s Business” program. This program aims to protect kids who drop out of school and fight against the worst forms of child labor, like human trafficking. I’m excited to join them more formally and to be involved with their advocacy work this summer. I feel that the human rights seminar required by Gallatin has prepared me well to think deeply about the moral, social, and philosophical issues underpinning approaching the issue of child labor through a human rights framework.