Insight: Rescued child jockeys find a new home

Three-year-old Shahi broke both his arms while picking up dung in a camel camp. Today, he is at the UAE's first rehabilitation centre for under-age camel jockeys.

Shahi, who still remembers the horror of working in the camp, told the Gulf News team visiting the centre that he wanted to go to school and eat ice-cream.

"I am very happy here. I get a bath every day. I get food, milk and medicine - I also get chocolates, which I love," he says.

Shahi cannot remember his parents, but his 5-year-old brother, Alam, who was also rescued from a camel camp, is with him at the centre.

The centre - the first of its kind dedicated to rehabilitating under-age camel jockeys rescued by UAE authorities, has been set up at the Zayed Military City in Abu Dhabi. In addition to Shahi, 30 other children, aged 3 to 11, are being cared for there.

The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International in Pakistan (ABWTI) is running the centre in cooperation with UAE authorities.

Ansar Burney, human rights activist and chairman of ABWTI, together with his wife, Shaheen, are helping the authorities set up various facilities for children being brought to the centre.

"The centre has been established under the orders of Lieutenant General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to eliminate the use of under-age camel jockeys in races," Burney tells Gulf News.

Shaheen, who visits the children every day, says: "They need love. When they first arrived they were very stubborn and had no manners. They did not know anything about hygiene. They did not even know how to use a toilet and eat properly.

"They used to fight with each other and use filthy language. But since the day they were brought here - about 25 days ago, they have learnt a lot.

"Now they not only behave well but have also started taking an interest in studying. They used to tear books when they were first asked to attend classes."

Zulfiqar, an 11-year-old boy from Pakistan, says he came to the UAE with a couple who pretended to be his parents.

"They left me at a camp and then vanished. I came with the consent of my parents because they are very poor and wanted me to go abroad and work," he says.

He was desperately waiting to go home, he did not want to stay in the UAE because he was afraid of being made to work as a camel jockey.

Daily routine

Nine-year-old Akbar says he used to get up at 4am to feed the camels and clean up their dung.

"I had to ride everyday from 8am to 1pm. Then I had to feed the camels and clean up the place before going for forced training at 3pm.

"I went to sleep at 10pm after a final round of feeding the animals and cleaning. I am very happy at this centre and want to go back to my home," he says.

As Gulf News was touring the centre, Abdul Sattar Pardesi, a philanthropist from Dubai, brought sweets for the children and they rushed to get their share.

Later, they gathered in the compound for a game of football.

"There are more than 5,000 boys who are used as camel jockeys in violation of the UAE law. They will be rescued from the camps with the help of the authorities.

"The UAE is the first government to ban the use of under-age, underweight jockeys in the camel-racing industry," Burney says.

He says the real culprits responsible for this crime were agents who smuggled children in from developing countries.

"They are well-connected and even have the backing of politicians in their respective countries."

There is a need to establish similar centres in other Gulf countries where more than 40,000 children, mostly from Asian countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Ethiopia, are being used as camel jockeys.

"International networks have made it a sophisticated and well-organised human trafficking industry in these countries.

"During training and in races, children often fall off the camels and are badly injured or crushed to death.

"Because it's illegal to use under-age jockeys, they never receive medical treatment and some of them die after prolonged suffering," Burney says.

Social factors

One such child, 9-year-old Shakeel from Pakistan, who fell from a camel and had his stomach ripped open, is now being treated at the centre.

"The root causes of under-age child trafficking for camel jockeying are multiple and complex. Some are obvious - such as extreme levels of poverty.

"It is far easier to persuade parents to part with their children when, if they don't sell one or two of their children, they will all die because of poverty. Inadequate legislation and weak enforcement of related laws also contribute heavily to the problem," Burney says.

Mercenary groups have made it into a business at the expense of children's lives, he says.

"Many child jockeys have been kidnapped from their home villages in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Some have been bought from impoverished families by agents.

"Others are lured from home with promises to their families they will be employed as domestic servants in cities in their own countries."

Burney, who has already repatriated hundreds of camel jockeys this year, has also established similar rehabilitation centres in Pakistan and Bangladesh to help the children.

"We will visit other countries, such as Sudan and Sri Lanka, to establish similar centres. We will provide education and vocational training to help them grow up to be good citizens," he says.