Jordan Becoming Hotbed for Organ Trafficking

The trafficking of human kidneys from Jordan to countries abroad, mostly western nations such as the U.S. and the U.K., is assuming larger proportions than previous thought, Jordanian officials indicate that extreme poverty is one of the main causes for people to selling their organs.^[1] Based on statistics from the Jordanian Health Minister Saad al-Kharabshah, a total 81 cases of trafficking have been uncovered in recent months, with a kidney costing between 400 and 2000 dollars.^[2]

The traffic could in reality be much bigger given that the ministry data refers only to confirmed cases.^[3] Jordanian law forbids the sale of organs but allows their donation between people with blood ties; U.S. law also forbids the trafficking of organs.

According to the president of the Jordanian League for Kidney Diseases, Muhammad al-Ghnaymat, last year around 120 people sold their kidneys abroad with the donors being largely males; 55 percent of which being younger than 31 and 46.9 percent being married; 43.2 per cent come from very poor families and 67 percent have had high school education.^[4]

Many observers in Jordan fear that the trafficking is now organized and run by mafias and intermediaries who take advantage of the desperation of many young people.^[5] In 2007 alone, Jordanian authorities have arrested ten people for kidney smuggling, five of them just last week.^[6] Jordanian sociologist Salim Badran asserts that the traffickers make agreements with Jordanian or Iraqi citizens - many of whom have fled the violence in their country - accepting to sell their kidney at a price that varies from case to case.^[7] "The donors have their journeys organized and paid for to Egypt Pakistan or India where they have a kidney removed at a private clinic. Several days later they are brought back to Jordan without receiving the necessary medical care" said Badran. ^[8]

The destination of the organs is not completely clear, however the buyer are usually from wealthier nations, either in Arab nations or in Asia, but this does not necessarily mean that the end-users are in those same countries.^[9] According to some experts, these networks also deliver kidneys to many Western nations.^[10]

We have previously discussed the crime of Organ Trafficking here.

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^[1] Staff, Jordan kidney trafficking abroad rising, Middle East Online, June 2, 2007 available at http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/features/?id=20931 (last visited June 3, 2007).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] Id.; see also McNabb Blogs, www.mcnabbassociates.com, http://www.transnationalcrimesblog.com/2007/04/international-organ-trafficking-is.html (last visited June 3, 2007).