Because these laws have not been implemented, the problem of child trafficking and using children as camel jockeys has openly continued. Children as young as four have been trafficked from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Africa to be used as camel jockeys. Because they are too young to hold on, they are tied on to the camels. To keep them light, they are deprived of food and water before a race; they are kept in harsh conditions and treated brutality. Child camel jockeys have been seriously injured and some have died as a result of their treatment.
Because it is so dangerous for children, earlier this year the International Labour Organization called for the minimum age for camel jockeys to be 18 years. It is vital that the Government of the UAE introduce regular unannounced inspections to identify and release any child who is currently being used as a camel jockey; that anyone responsible for trafficking or employing underage jockeys is prosecuted under existing laws and that laws are introduced - and enforced - that prohibit employing children under 18 as camel jockeys.
For more information on human trafficking see http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/trafficking.htm
Because it is so dangerous for children, earlier this year the International Labour Organization called for the minimum age for camel jockeys to be 18 years. It is vital that the Government of the UAE introduce regular unannounced inspections to identify and release any child who is currently being used as a camel jockey; that anyone responsible for trafficking or employing underage jockeys is prosecuted under existing laws and that laws are introduced - and enforced - that prohibit employing children under 18 as camel jockeys.
For more information on human trafficking see http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/trafficking.htm