Philippine ban for Jordan 'abuse'

The Philippines has banned its citizens from going to Jordan to work amid claims of widespread abuse of domestic staff by Jordanian employers.

The move affects Filipinos who want to go to Jordan for the first time, not those already working in the country.

The ban, which came into force on Monday, is only now becoming public.

Inside the Philippine embassy in the capital, Amman, more than 150 Filipino workers, most of them women, have taken refuge from abusive employers.

The notice posted on the front door of the embassy is clear: no more workers will be allowed to come from the Philippines to Jordan until further notice.

Unpaid wages

The crimes committed against them include non-payment of wages, physical abuse and even rape.

Meetings between officials from the Philippine embassy and the Jordanian government are being held to try to solve the problem.

According to Jordanian government statistics, there are 70,000 foreign domestic workers in the country.

About 15,000 of them come from the Philippines.