Camel racing is a long-established tradition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is a glamorous, wealthy sport, attracting tourists as well as the elite of the UAE. But beneath the glamour lies a reality of trafficking and forced labour of children as young as four years old.

Children are trafficked from countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan to work as camel jockeys. They are taken from their families to a country where the people, culture and usually the language are completely unknown. The racing itself is extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury or even death. It is common for the children to be tied on to the camels to keep them from falling off. They may be deprived of food and water before a race in order to keep their weight down. They are often kept in harsh conditions and treated with brutality.

The trafficking of children for use as camel jockeys is prohibited by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as several International Labour Organization Conventions, which have all been ratified by the UAE.

In July 2002, the Government of the UAE brought in a new Order banning the employment of children under the age of 15 as camel jockeys, which came into effect on 1 September 2002 (although this is little more than a restatement of the previous ban introduced in 1993). But there is clear evidence that the new ban is being flouted and that children are still being trafficked to work as camel jockeys in the UAE.

Organisations in Bangladesh have identified cases of children from the age of five who have been rescued from working as camel jockeys or who have been trafficked to the UAE to work as camel jockeys, all since September 2002. They have also documented cases of boys between the ages of 11 and 16 who have been sent home after years of working as camel jockeys, as they were deemed too heavy to be of any more use to their employers.

A documentary broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in February 2003 included footage from a race track where officials, apparently surprised by the presence of the film makers, are shown escorting a group of very young camel jockeys onto a bus while other officials attempt to stop the filming.

So despite the ban and despite the UAE's recent agreement to raise the age limit for employment in 'hazardous' work (which would include work as a camel jockey) to 18, children are still being trafficked and used as camel jockeys. To the best of our knowledge, not a single UAE citizen has faced judicial proceedings for using child camel jockeys.

Irshad's story

Irshad was just four years old when he was abducted and taken from his home in Bangladesh to Dubai in the UAE, by a friend of his father. He was given to a 'master' to be trained as a camel jockey. Irshad would be woken at 4.00am and taken to the racetrack at dawn. He was tied to an eight-foot tall camel which could reach speeds of up to 64 kilometres per hour. Irshad says he was given very little food or water in order to keep his weight down. He was consequently highly malnourished and underweight.

Irshad's parents searched for him and eventually his father tracked him down in Dubai. However, the man who had abducted Irshad also claimed to be his father and the camel master handed them both over to the police. Although the police did discover the true identity of Irshad's father, and the other man was jailed, Irshad's father's visa expired and he was deported to Bangladesh without his son.

Irshad continued to work as a camel jockey, sustaining several injuries. In October 2002, after three years as a camel jockey, Irshad was identified by a visiting Bangladeshi Government official. He was subsequently rescued and repatriated by the Bangladeshi consulate with the help of the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) in November 2002. After a few weeks, Irshad's parents were traced and he was reunited with his family.

(With thanks to BNWLA)