Anti-Slavery - photo gallery - Child camel jockeys in the UAE

Child camel jockeys in the UAE

In 2004, Anti-Slavery International sent a photographer to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to photograph children racing and training in the Gulf state. The photographs prove that, despite the Government's repeated statements that this practice has stopped, it is still a problem. Two years ago, the Government announced that using children under 15 and lighter than 45 kilograms to race camels would be banned from 1 September 2002 and offenders punished. For more about this issue, see our submission to the UN.

All the photographs below were taken in 2004 at the Nad Al Sheba racecourse in Dubai, but children were seen racing and training across the country.

If you would like to use any of these images, see photographs (conditions of use) or contact Becky Shand on +44 (0)20 7501 8922 or email b.shand@antislavery.org


Some boys are so young they have to be tied onto the camel.	Only owners get money or prizes for winning, the children get nothing.	Most camel jockeys are under 10; they are seen as too heavy at 15.


Boys have been seriously injured and some died as a result.	Despite the harsh reality, child camel jockeys are a tourist attraction.	Most jockeys only have a sheet on the sand for a bed and basic shelter.


Children are frequently deprived of food and water to keep them light.	In summer, children race, train and tend the camels in over 40C heat.	Camel racing using child jockeys is clearly visible across the Emirates.