US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI1551

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001551 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR G, G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, AND NEA/ARPI 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KDEM, ELAB, ETRD, TC, Camel Jockeys 
SUBJECT: UPTICK IN UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEY REPATRIATION 
 
REF: ABU DHABI 1523 
 
 1. (U) Summary: In the three weeks since the UAEG announced 
that a new law banning underage camel jockeys would take 
effect March 31, a small but growing number of children from 
TIP source countries (especially Pakistan, Bangladesh, and 
Sudan) have been "rescued" from their captors and are now 
either being processed by their embassies and consulates, 
temporarily housed in Abu Dhabi's new rehabilitation center 
for ex-camel jockeys, or repatriated to their countries of 
origin.  Source country embassies report generally good 
cooperation with the UAEG in processing and repatriating the 
children ) even though the numbers being rescued are small 
compared to the estimated 2,700 to 9,000 underage camel 
jockeys in the UAE.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Since it opened its doors in December, the UAEG's 
rehabilitation center in Abu Dhabi emirate has sheltered a 
total of 68 children to date, 43 of whom have been 
repatriated, mostly to Pakistan, according to a Ministry of 
Interior contact.  Separately, the Embassy of Pakistan said 
that its consulates in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have handled 
approximately 40 cases involving underage camel jockeys in 
the past three weeks.  Half of these have been repatriated to 
Pakistan while the other half are still in the UAE waiting 
for their travel documents to be processed.  Some of the 
children are coming in with their parents, others with their 
sponsors.  Most are issued one-time travel documents.  The 
Government of Pakistan has been using the media and NGO's in 
Pakistan to attempt to reunite the children with their 
families.  Children whose family ties cannot be established 
are cared for by a chain of "SOS Villages" in Pakistan. 
While most of the source country embassies and consulates Pol 
Chief contacted reported generally good cooperation with UAE 
officials, a Pakistani diplomat said that the Abu Dhabi 
Police colonel who had been given overall responsibility for 
the repatriation campaign had not received formal 
instructions from the Ministry of Interior to work on any 
cases.  (Note: As noted reftel, federal Cabinet approval of 
the new law is expected at its next meeting on Monday, April 
11.) 
 
3. (SBU) With heightened interest in Pakistan about the 
plight of underage Pakistani children working as camel 
jockeys in the UAE, the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis is 
planning to visit the UAE later this month to coordinate with 
the UAEG on repatriation, according to the Embassy of 
Pakistan.  The Pakistani minister is also keen on setting up 
a center in Pakistan for children who have no recollection of 
their families. 
 
4. (SBU) The Ambassador from Bangladesh told Pol Chief that 
the Bangladeshi consulate in Dubai had received a half-dozen 
inquiries from sponsors of trafficked children in the past 
week.  He estimated the number of Bangladeshi children 
currently in the UAE working as camel jockeys in the 
hundreds.  One of the problems he is anticipating includes 
verification of the children's nationalities.  "We have to 
use our intuition in some cases.  We pay close attention to 
their accent to tell if they are from Bangladesh," he said. 
A Sudanese diplomat told Pol Chief that the number of 
ex-camel jockeys coming to the Embassy with their parents has 
been increasing daily this week, although he did not have 
precise figures.  The Sudanese Embassy has been issuing 
travel documents to permit them to go home to Sudan.  The 
Somali Ambassador told Pol Chief that the UAEG has not 
provided him with any proof that Somali children were in the 
UAE working as camel jockeys, making it difficult for him to 
help.  Once he has the information, he said he will do 
everything to help the children just as he did two years ago 
when he learned that 10-year-old and 6-year-old brothers from 
Somaliland had been smuggled to the UAE to be used as camel 
jockeys. 
ALBRIGHT