January 13, 2006

Camel Jockeying:  An Examination of UAE Port Deal Brings to Light Other Horrors

COLUMBUS, OH – Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) today submitted the following editorial:

After weeks of controversy and amid insurmountable opposition in Congress, Dubai Ports World (DP World) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) abandoned its plans to manage six U.S. Ports on the American east coast.  The proposed transaction had many Americans rightfully concerned over the security of our nation’s seaports, which had been widely identified as an Achilles ’ heel in the effort to protect our homeland.  

Over the past week, as the Ports deal consumed the focus of both lawmakers and the American public. But as we examined the UAE and its relationship with the United States, a little known issue came to light, and it is one that deserves our attention – a human rights violation that most Americans would find loathsome:  camel jockeying.

It is known that young children have been routinely trafficked into the country to serve as camel jockeys in the Middle Eastern version of horse racing.  In oil rich nations like the UAE, camel racing has become a multi-million dollar venture embraced by the nation’s elite families, and extraordinary amounts of money are spent on acquiring the fastest of camels.  Young boys, some only 2 years of age, are trafficked in from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and East African nations, and sold into slavery.

The children trafficked into the UAE live in an oppressive environment and endure harsh living conditions. They work long hours in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, live in unsanitary conditions, receive little food, and are deprived of sleep so that they do not gain weight and increase the load on the camels they race. They are trained and kept under the watchful eyes of handlers, who employ abusive control tactics, including threats and beatings. Some are reportedly abused sexually. Many have been seriously injured and some have been trampled to death by the camels.

The victims who are fortunate enough to survive the harsh conditions are disposed of once they reach their teenage years. Having gained no productive skills or education, scarred with physical and psychological trauma that can last a lifetime, these children face dim prospects. They often end up leading destitute lives. Trafficked child camel jockeys are robbed of their childhoods and of their futures.

Until this past September, the UAE was considered a Tier III country by the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Office (TIP), which ranks countries by whether they condone human trafficking, including sex slavery, domestic servitude and other abuses. Nations in the Tier III group – the worst ranking a nation can receive -- can lose their favorable trading status with the United States, a diplomatic tool embraced by our nation to spur other countries to improve poor human rights records. 

John Miller is U.S. Ambassador and Director of the TIP office, and is fully committed to ending this modern day form of slavery.  While past efforts to persuade the UAE to improve its record on trafficking were of questionable success, Ambassador Miller believes the UAE government is now making progress in cracking down on this shameful practice.  "The UAE has rescued 600 children, arrested 19 people for trafficking in providing child camel jockeys, and repatriated children to their own countries, and set up shelters for many," Miller said. "They are really trying this time."

Last year, I led a fact finding mission to Italy, Greece, Albania and Moldova to learn more about trafficking in the area of the world in which it is most prevalent.  And more recently, legislation I authored to combat trafficking was signed into law by the President.  Passage of this bill represents an incredible victory for victims of sex trafficking both in the United States and all over the planet, and the diplomatic tools it provides our government will help us put a stop to this demeaning and inhumane practice worldwide.

I am thankful that we can declare victory in defeating the ports transaction.  The UAE remains an ally in the War on Terror, and I am encouraged to hear that its government is working to eliminate this human rights abuse.  Fresh on the heels of our recent legislative success to curb the practice of trafficking both internationally and domestically, however, I will continue to work with our State Department to ensure that we can soon live in a world where women and children are no longer subjected to the indignity and hopelessness of human trafficking.