Rescued child jockey finds a home

Five-year-old Abdul Khaiyoum to stay with the UAE family that rescued him.

The frail and underweight 4-year-old boy was found in a pool of his own urine.

His right leg was held in a home-made plaster cast because the camel he was training to race had fallen on his tiny body. That was August 2004.

How life has changed since then for Abdul Khaiyoum.

Today the 5-year-old is well fed and bright eyed. He is learning to read and write and already speaks English.

A BBC documentary about him will be shown to millions later this month.

A defining moment

And this week there was another defining moment in the young boy's life.

In the presence of a UAE public prosecutor, his Pakistani father has agreed to let him stay and live with the UAE family that rescued him.

For social worker Sharla Musabih, who found Abdul Khaiyoum and has worked tirelessly with the UAE authorities to end the use of child camel jockeys in the UAE, it is the government's efforts she thanks the most.

"The UAE government has done a fantastic job in rescuing these children and helping them to re-build their lives. They are utterly determined that it should never happen in the UAE again," she said.

Speaking in the presence of police officials at the Rahima public prosecution, Abdul Khaiyoum's father, Abdul Garfour, said he wanted the best for his son and this was only available to him in the UAE.

"I want my son to receive a good UAE education. I think this is best for him. But please let me visit him once or twice a year," he said.

Abdul Garfour is currently waiting to be deported for overstaying his UAE visitor's visa.

Earlier this year, Abdul Khaiyoum's aunt was arrested by UAE authorities for human trafficking. She was deported to Pakistan.

Before ending the proceedings, the public prosecutor pointed to the legal rights for Abdul Garfour under Sharia law if he ever wanted his child to return and live in Pakistan.

"You must understand Mrs Musabih that if at any stage Mr Garfour wants his son to return to Pakistan, then you will have to relinquish him," he said.

Musabih found Abdul Khaiyoum while working with UAE authorities during the initial stages of the government's campaign of ridding the country of child camel jockeys.

She says that when she found him, the rehabilitation centre for child jockeys which is now managed by the Unicef and overseen by the Ministry of Interior in Abu Dhabi had yet to be established.

Formalities over

She says that she received all necessary clearance from UAE authorities for Abdul Khaiyoum to remain with her.

"The authorities have been most sympathetic and helpful," she said, "The police have been in constant contact with me since we started looking after Abdul Khaiyoum."

While there is little doubt Abdul Garfour is Abdul Khaiyoum's father., the two have undergone DNA tests in accordance with UAE law.

The tiny toddler stares at the plaster on his thumb after blood tests conducted earlier at Abu Dhabi Police Headquarters. "Please, mummy, can we go home now," he says.