Homebound Girls in Jordan

Homebound girls are girls under the age of 18 who withdraw, or are withdrawn, from school and spend their days as domestic laborers in their house. The issues surrounding them are multi-faceted. Homebound girls are denied their constitutional right to education and are potentially involved in exploitive child labor. In doing so, they are also denied their right to social integration and psychological development as a result of their domestic confinement.

The purpose of this qualitative research was twofold: the first was to explore the phenomenon of homebound girls in Jordan and to understand the reasons that led to their confinement. By shedding light on and investigating this phenomenon, the second purpose of this research, in turn, was to identify possible interventions to allow these girls access to education and strengthen their social development.

The research was based on in-depth interviews with 46 homebound girls and 40 mothers in four locations in Jordan: Marka, Marfaq, Ma’an, and Zarqa and was complemented by a literature and legislative review on children’s rights focused on education and the issue of child labor.