On 24 April, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government extended
its agreement to rehabilitate and repatriate children trafficked
as camel jockeys.
The agreement with UNICEF extends a project which began in
May 2005. Although this latest move is an encouraging step forward,
Anti-Slavery International is concerned that the use of child
camel jockeys continues.
According to official figures 1,076 children were repatriated
by March 2006, when the repatriation programme ended. This figure
is far below the UAE Government's 2005 estimate of there being
3,000 child camel jockeys in the country.
There is no information on what has happened to the missing
children, raising fears that they continue to be used to train
or look after camels or may have been trafficked into other
forms of slavery.
It is vital these children are found and, if they are still
working as camel jockeys, that those responsible are prosecuted
in line with UAE law.
