The Jordanian Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA) gave orders for exempting Palestinian refugee camps set up in the country from rental fees for the month of April in light of the economic hardship inflicted by coronavirus pandemic.

DPA’s Director-General Rafiq Kherfan said the move makes part of serious efforts made by the department to assist Palestinian refugees at such a critical time, amid a full lockdown imposed across the Kingdom.

Kherfan also said there are some 70 rented shops in refugee camps set up in the north and 80 other shops in Amman and Madaba. Some 200 more shops are rented in favor of Palestinian refugee camps in Zarqa and Balqa governorates.

In Jordan, there are 2.2 million Palestine refugees who are registered with UNRWA. Several legal restrictions limit their rights and contribute to their vulnerable living conditions.

Jordan also hosts around 17,000 Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS), 47 per cent of whom are children. While most of them are assessed as highly vulnerable and receive UNRWA assistance, many of them additionally face a difficult protection situation, mainly due to their precarious legal status in the country.

Other vulnerable groups among the Palestine refugee population in Jordan include those living below the poverty line, women and children exposed to different forms of abuse, and persons with disabilities suffering social exclusion.