Anti-Slavery - Submissions 1999 - Child Camel Jockeys

United Nations Economic and Social Council Commission on Human Rights Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and protection of Minorities Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery 24th Session
Geneva, 23 June - 2 July 1999
Child camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates
Last year Anti-Slavery reported that children, some as young as four-years-old, are being trafficked from Asian and African countries into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be used as child jockeys during camel races. The children are separated from their families, and are taken to a country where the people, language and culture are completely unknown to them. Some forget where they came from or even who they are. The boys, who are often underfed and are subjected to crash diets before a race so that they will be as light as possible, are strapped to the camel's back, but they can easily slip off sideways and either get trapped underneath the camel or trampled. It is not uncommon for the children to fall off or get dragged along; sometimes to their death. During the actual races the child has very little control over the camel. The child's duties are to scream and to whip the camel, both to make the camel run faster. Following the receipt of letters from Anti-Slavery and its supporters the Government of the UAE conceded that : "...there are unfortunate occasions when young boys are still employed as jockeys in camel-racing in the United Arab Emirates, despite the fact that this is illegal. The rules of the Emirates Camel Racing Federation specifically forbid the use of riders under the age of 14, or weighing less than seven stone, and the Federation, along with other government bodies, is doing its best to eradicate the practice of using young children in the sport." The Government goes on to say that while a few incidents still occur, the number of children being used as camel jockeys is declining; and that "any camel owners found to be in breach of the rules should be severely punished". Anti-Slavery, however, is concerned that children are still being used as camel jockeys and that the Government of the UAE has done little to stop this practice. In September 1998, a five-year-old Bangladeshi camel jockey was hospitalised after a camel kicked and broke his leg. Moreover, the 1998 US Department of State United Arab Emirates Country Report on Human Rights Practices states: "...many sources report that a significant number of camel jockeys are children under the UAE minimum employment age. Relevant labor laws often are not enforced, as those who own racing camels and employ the children come from powerful local families that are in effect above the law." The UAE has ratified the International Labour Organisation's Convention No. 29 which prohibits "forced or compulsory labour", as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Both of these international standards are violated in the case of child camel jockeys. Despite the UAE Government's assurances that "it is doing its best to eradicate the problem", and the fact that the use of children as camel jockeys is contrary to both national and international law, Anti-Slavery has seen no significant steps taken by the Government to end this form of abuse. In fact, on the UAE's official web site ("UAE internet pages" http://www.uae-pages.com/) where one can send "virtual postcards", one of the postcards from which to choose is a photograph of a young boy riding a camel at a race track. Anti-Slavery is urging the Government of the UAE to seriously address this abuse of children; and specifically to end all employment of children under 14 as camel jockeys, with the implementation of penalties and punishment for those found to be responsible or profiting from the children's employment; to release and rehabilitate all children currently employed as camel jockeys, making every effort to return them to their country of origin and homes and to provide them with compensation; and to appoint an independent monitor to report to the police and the Government, on steps taken by the camel racing industry, the frontier police and other immigration authorities to prevent trafficking in children and the employment of children under 14 in the UAE. Anti-Slavery urges the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to express its concern about this issue. Details of the recent evidence collected by Anti-Slavery are contained in a four page leaflet which we are also submitting to you. .