Posted on 03/14/2005 10:41:43 AM PST by Dog Gone
DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates said today it would crack down on the trafficking of Asian child camel jockeys, a practice internationally condemned as a form of slavery.
Rights groups say several thousand boys, some as young as four, work as jockeys in the lucrative sport in the oil-rich Gulf Arab state.
They say the children are kept in prison-like conditions where they are deliberately underfed to keep them light so the camels run faster. The boys race at speeds of up to 30 mph in the races, which are popular among Bedouin Arabs.
A new law will tighten an existing ban on using boys under 16 or those weighing less than 99 lbs., the state news agency WAM reported. The weight limit is aimed at preventing boys being brought in on false passports with the wrong age.
The children are abducted or sold by their families. Most are from the Indian subcontinent.
"The desire at a high level to combat this is obvious, especially since it became clear that it was a bigger problem than we thought," a government official told Reuters.
The new law will address "loopholes" in past legislation, he said, but did not elaborate.
London-based Anti-Slavery International said last year it had photographs to prove young boys were still racing camels, despite a 2002 government ban. It called for proper inspections and prosecution of those trafficking and employing the boys.
Anyone violating the new regulations will face "stiff legal measures," WAM quoted UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed as saying. He did not explain what these would be.
Air and sea ports will have strict instructions to prevent young boys entering the country for the sport, he said.
The United States has said it hopes UAE efforts to combat the trade will also encourage a similar ban in other Gulf countries, where thousands more boys are thought to work.
International scrutiny has led the UAE to set up a rehabilitation centre in the capital of Abu Dhabi for boy jockeys, the government official said.
Asian camel jockeys? These funny little comments keep popping in my head but none are politically correct enough to post.
From reading this I don't think anything will change in the UAE.
Bump... ha ha... get it??? Camel hump... ha ha LOL.
I've always wanted to use "camel jockeys" as a keyword on a thread here. Today, my lifelong dream has been fulfilled.
Hey, they're just getting ready for the NASCAR circuit.
The arab world is contributing so much to the world....little asian camel jockeys!Imagine creating a brand new class of victims to be exploited and tortured.
As part of the rehabilitative program, the boys will be "repurposed" away from their current dangerous occupation and redirected into careers as Lawn Jockeys.
The resulting scream in the ear of the camel makes it run faster.
Seventh century NSACAR
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