Hidden Guests Yemeni Exiles in Jordan

Hidden Guests: Yemeni exiles in Jordan
arrivals are Yemenis whose source of income was independent from the situation in Yemen. Generally
speaking the fathers are working in Saudi Arabia. The third group of arrivals are those who depend on the
savings they have.
Information collected suggests that these different categories of Yemenis reside in different parts of
Amman. The politically-influential individuals reside in Jabal Weibdeh, while most other Yemenis – having
arrived before or during the war- reside in Jubeiha and other parts of East Amman.
Causes for concern: access to education and statelessness
Although not all Yemenis are in need of assistance, there are issues that arise on account of lack of residency
or registration with UNCHR. If there is no residence permit, or UNHCR card, it is clear that Yemeni
children do not have access to public and private school systems in Jordan as this along with a MoI service
card is required for entry into schools. Although there is currently no way to determine the extent of this
problem due to lack of reliable statistics, anecdotal evidence suggests that school-age children have not
attended school since the conflict started in Yemen and continue to not do so after arrival to Jordan.
Economic concerns are high, but also a sense of ‘temporary’ displacement may be discouraging parents
from registering, as it had been the case among Syrian refugees during the first months of their arrival.
Overwhelmingly, there is an idea that Yemeni’s are not in the Kingdom permanently and will go back very
soon to restart their lives. This perception has the implication that people do not try to register their
children in schools.
Further issues concerning documentation relate to the lack of registration of newborns. Having now been
in Jordan for at most one year it is very likely that Yemenis have given birth within the Kingdom. Under
both international law and Jordanian law a child must be registered at birth. The Department of Civil
Status and Passports states that the documentation required to register the birth of children depends on
the nationality of parents: foreigners need to provide a copy of their marriage certificate and a copy of
their passports. All nationalities need to provide a stamped and signed copy from the hospital/authority
that supervised the birth of the newborn containing all information regarding the newborn. According to
Jordanian legislation consular services can also validate births. There is no available data on whether
Yemenis have been doing this.
An understanding of birth registration in Yemen may prove predicative of practices of Yemenis within the
Kingdom. Indeed, there is not a culture of birth registration in Yemen. According to UNICEF report
published in October 2014Yemen has the lowest birth registration rate in the MENA region. From 2006 to
2014 birth registration rates decreased from 22% to 17%;¹³ Meaning that 83% of children held no legal identity.
Lack of registration has significant consequences for children and their parents while in exile in Jordan
as well as when they want to leave the Kingdom. While not on the same scale as the Syrian crisis of lack
of birth registration, statelessness is a serious issue that must be addressed to ensure the protection of
children.
Recommendations
1. ARDD-Legal Aid proposes to build upon our current knowledge of Yemeni’s in Jordan and conduct a
needs assessment that will shed further light on their situation
2. From a more solid research foundation seek to advocate to the Jordanian government to include
Yemeni children in schools
3. Awareness raising among Yemeni communities about the importance of documentation similar to
the process ARDD-Legal Aid conducted with Syrian refugees in the Kingdom.
13http://www.unicef.org/mena/UNICEF_Yemen_SitRep_October_2014.pdf
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