Victim assistance action points

• Improve rehabilitation centers and provide adequate training to staff.
• Ensure the full implementation of the new law on the rights of persons with disabilities.
• Ensure mine/explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors’ full access to medical insurance, quality rehabilitation care, and services as identified in the 2015–2020 Mine Action Plan.
• Ensure regular maintenance and repair of mine/ERW survivors’ assistive devices, especially for refugees.
• Develop national prosthetic and orthotic standards as identified in the 2015–2020 Mine Action Plan.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s national legislation prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability,[7] but such legal protections were not upheld.[8] In 2017, there was a 76% unemployment rate among persons with disabilities.[9] The National Building Law (No. 7 of 1993), which provides for accessibility standards, lacked implementation.[10] A 10-year national plan was being developed in 2018 to facilitate access to buildings and public services.[11]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities No. 20 for the Year 2017 entered into force on 30 August 2017. Under the new law, Jordanian citizens with disabilities are eligible for an identification card, which includes information about their disability. The identification card gives them access to a number of services, such as a health insurance card covering medical and rehabilitation services. The law also guarantees employment quotas, access to education, and access to public facilities.[12] According to the new law, the Social Development Ministry will be responsible of providing services to persons with disabilities in place of the NCD.[13]

Emergency, continuing, physical medical rehabilitation; prosthetics and mobility devices; psychological

The influx of Syrian refugees strains Jordanian public services and resources.[14] In 2017, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) strengthened the capacity of local medical service providers to respond to emergencies by providing materials, equipment, and training.[15] A joint program of the ICRC, the University of Jordan, and the Ministry of Health was launched in 2017 to improve teaching in physical rehabilitation.[16]

Médecins sans Frontières(MSF) Amman reconstructive surgery hospital, originally set up to treat war-wounded Iraqis, now admits patients from Syria, Libya, Yemen, and Palestine.[17] War-wounded received reconstructive surgery, physiotherapy, and psychosocial support in 2017.[18]

The Paola Biocca Center, which opened in 2015, had treated 100 amputees by the end of 2017, many of whom were refugees.[19] In 2017, Jordan reported providing 20 prostheses free of charge.[20]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion

The National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation(NCDR) continued its economic reintegration project in collaboration with the Jordan Agricultural Credit Corporation.[21] In an effort to improve the standards of living of persons with disabilities, including mine/ERW survivors, Jordan provided monthly grants to persons with disabilities.[22]

Cross-cutting

There were more than 670,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan as of September 2018.[23] Since late 2014, access to health services for Syrian refugees is no longer free of charge, and specialized care for persons with disabilities can be very costly, preventing many of them from accessing appropriate care.[24]

The Sir Bobby Charlton Centre for Support and Rehabilitation, which opened in Amman in August 2017, aims to support and coordinate physical and mental rehabilitation for Syrian refugees.[25] Humanity & Inclusion (HI, formerly Handicap International) also provided physical rehabilitation and psychosocial services to Syrian refugees,[26] as did the ICRC[27] and MSF.[28] The Paola Biocca Center also provided physical rehabilitation services to refugees.[29]

Due to the uneven distribution of services throughout Jordan, persons with disabilities living in remote areas had little access to services.[30]

Victim assistance providers and activities