More examples of how our muslim brother arabs in the Gulf have used their wealth to such good purpose. Where’s Lajjo?
http://www.dawn.com/2003/09/20/ed.htm
The harrowing account of two boys, aged six and eight, who managed to return to Pakistan this week after serving as camel jockeys in the UAE is proof that the ignoble practice has been far from eliminated.
Acting on pressure brought to bear on it by child rights organizations worldwide and foreign governments, the UAE has outlawed the practice of employing young children to ride camels in races. However, given that 32 such so-called ‘camel kids’ have returned to Pakistan in the last six months alone and that in all probability many more are still being forced into this inhuman sport, it should be clear that the prohibition needs to be enforced more rigorously.
The two boys who returned this week have said that they do not remember when they were taken to the UAE or who took them there. Part of the reason why children at such a young age are forced to go is that many come from destitute families in mostly rural areas and their parents are too poor to resist the temptation of the money offered.
Poverty is a fact of life, but the government can at least prevent exploitation of poor families by keeping a stronger vigil on the smuggling of children. The UAE government must redouble its efforts to ensure that anyone employing children as camel jockeys and organizing such races is given exemplary punishment.