Five children, aged between five and 13, were rescued from a child trafficking ring in Pakistan on 15 January.

According to reports, the trafficking gang abducted young children to sell as camel jockeys in the Gulf States, particularly the United Arab Emirates.

After raiding a house in Larkana District, New Karachi, police arrested Sardar Bhatti and his wife Nooran, Sardar Bhatti and Abdul Karim. Police found the children in the house and passports that showed the traffickers made regular trips to the Gulf.

Employing children younger than 14 or lighter than 45 kilograms is illegal both according to UAE law and under its Camel Racing Federation regulations, but the practice continues openly.

Traffickers either abduct children from South Asia or parts of Africa, or trick their parents into sending them abroad with promises of good work, money and training. Instead, they work in hazardous conditions, are rarely paid, and before a race, are deprived of food to keep them as light as possible.