Jordan parliament approves hefty fines for workplace sexual harassment

Jordan’s parliament on Monday passed amendments to the labour law which would introduce hefty fines for sexual harassment at work.

The amendments approved impose fines of between 2000 and 5000 dinars ($2,816-$7,040) on those found guilty of sexual harassment, stating that the employer or owner of an establishment will also be punished.

Some lawmakers protested the phrase "sexual harassment" during the parliamentary discussion.

The amended labour law also aims to better regulate the labour market in the kingdom and improve working conditions for employees.

While physical sexual harassment is illegal in Jordan, the law's approach to other forms of harassment has remained ambiguous.

A 2018 report by the United Nations said that Jordan's anti-harassment legislation was not sufficient as "the scope of the law is unclear."

The World Bank said that "laws against sexual harassment in Jordan are inadequate, contributing to an … unsafe or even hostile work environment." It added that recent studies showed that more than three out of four women in Jordan experienced some form of sexual harassment.

Notably, Jordan has one of the lowest female labour participation rates at just 13% in 2021. The global average is 47%.