US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI3437

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 003437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G, G/TIP, INL, DRL, NEA/RA, AND NEA/ARPI 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB, ETRD, PHUM, KJAN, TC 
SUBJECT: REPORT OF MORE TIP PROSECUTIONS, CAMEL JOCKEY 
REPATRIATIONS 
 
REF: A. STATE 99833 
 
     B. ABU DHABI 3297 
     C. ABU DHABI 3194 
 
1. Summary: UAEG progress on addressing the human trafficking 
problem has continued right through the August 2 60-day TIP 
action plan assessment period deadline (ref A).  At the 
request of the Consul General, the Dubai Justice Department 
provided information on three new sex trafficking 
prosecutions, bringing to 22 the total number of nationwide 
investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking reported 
to us since the action plan was delivered to the UAEG on June 
2.  On the underage camel jockey front, both Ministry of 
Interior and UNICEF officials have told us of the imminent 
repatriation of 290 children rescued from camel jockey farms 
(approximately 150 Bangladeshis and 140 Pakistanis).  The 
Bangladeshis will go home in tranches because their 
government can only accommodate 50 of them at one time, while 
the Pakistanis must wait until Pakistan International 
Airlines finds seats for them on a flight.  The nationwide 
number of underage camel jockeys identified by authorities 
has reached 690, 77 of them from Dubai.  The plight of 
domestic workers and laborers continues to receive almost 
daily attention in the local press, as do government actions 
to protect workers from employers who do not live up to their 
responsibilities. 
 
2. Summary continued: The following is a review of progress 
made since our July 27 update on the mini-action plan (ref 
B), keyed to the six points in the action plan.  It is based 
on information provided to us by the UAEG and the local 
press.  Although the 60-day action plan assessment period is 
behind us, we will continue to press the UAEG to sustain its 
anti-TIP efforts in the months ahead.  End Summary. 
 
3. Begin progress report: 
 
NATIONAL COORDINATOR 
-------------------- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation: Appoint a national coordinator 
with sufficient authority to oversee the implementation of 
this mini-action plan. 
 
UAEG Response: Completed (see ref C). 
 
IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION FOR CAMEL JOCKEYS 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation: Identify and provide protection, 
within the U.A.E., for at least 700 foreign child camel 
jockeys that are trapped in exploitation and begin providing 
them with appropriate rehabilitation, repatriation, and 
reintegration services.  The number of victims identified and 
protected at government-provided shelters or elsewhere will 
be verified by the International Organization for Migration 
or UNICEF. 
 
UAEG Response: 
 
NEW DEVELOPMENT: UAEG WILL SOON REPATRIATE APPROXIMATELY 290 
BOYS FROM PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH (SEE BELOW), WHICH WILL 
BRING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPATRIATIONS TO 459 SINCE JUNE 2. 
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEYS IDENTIFIED BY THE 
UAEG HAS INCREASED TO 690. 
 
(Note: On May 8, 2005, the UAE Ministry of Interior and 
UNICEF signed a project agreement for identifying, rescuing, 
rehabilitating and reintegrating up to 3,000 children 
estimated to be in the UAE working in the camel jockey 
industry.  Since June 2, the UAE has established three 
shelters in Abu Dhabi for housing and rehabilitating children 
rescued from camel farms.  While at the shelters, the 
children receive health, psychological, and social care in 
order to prepare them for repatriation, according to 
information provided by the UAEG.) 
 
-- According to UAEG statistics through August 8, 690 boys 
have been identified in the camel jockey industry, including 
77 from Dubai Emirate.  Repatriation formalities of 318 cases 
have been finalized under UNICEF supervision and in 
conjunction with source country embassies.  (Note: The UAEG 
says that 169 children have been repatriated already, and 
that this was done "after ensuring that the children have 
received their compensation due from the date of their 
arrival in UAE up to the date of their departure."  End 
note).  A breakdown by nationality of those in the 
repatriation pipeline shows that the majority are from 
Pakistan, and the remainder from Bangladesh, Sudan, 
Mauritania, and Eritrea.  In addition, as of August 8, there 
were 372 boys in the three shelters.  The nationality 
breakdown for those boys is as follows: 173 from Pakistan, 
133 from Bangladesh, 57 from Sudan, 5 from Mauritania, and 4 
from Eritrea. 
 
-- The UAE is prepared to repatriate approximately 150 
Bangladeshis.  A three-person team from Bangladesh (two 
government officials and one representative from the Women,s 
Lawyers Association) is in the UAE this week to complete 
formalities for repatriating the boys.  Ministry of Interior 
Social Support Center officials told us that 100 Bangladeshi 
children may have to remain in the UAE a little longer 
because the Bangladeshi government can only accommodate 50 
children one time.  This could temporarily affect the pace of 
rescue and rehabilitation of additional Bangladeshi children 
in the UAE because the three rehabilitation centers, or 
shelters, are at capacity, Ministry of Interior officials 
told Pol Chief. 
 
-- The UAE is also prepared to repatriate 140 Pakistanis. 
UNICEF and Ministry of Interior officials said that these 
children would have been returned to Pakistan sooner, but 
Pakistan International Airlines has not been able to 
accommodate this many children on one of its flights.  A 
Ministry of Interior Social Support Center contact told Pol 
Chief that some children may be booked on other airlines to 
get around the problem. 
 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION 
----------------------------- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation: Investigate and begin prosecuting 
at least 10 persons responsible for the trafficking, abuse, 
and exploitation of trafficked children in the camel racing 
industry.  Investigate and commence prosecution of at least 5 
cases involving the trafficking of women for sexual 
exploitation.  Investigate and commence prosecuting at least 
5 cases of abuse of foreign domestic workers and laborers. 
Persons convicted should receive sufficient penalties 
reflecting the heinous nature of trafficking crimes.  All 
investigations and prosecutions should be conducted with due 
regard to individual human rights. 
 
UAEG Response: 
 
NEW DEVELOPMENT: DUBAI EMIRATE REPORTED TO US INFORMATION ON 
THREE PROSECUTIONS FOR SEX TRAFFICKING (SEE BELOW), BRINGING 
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTED PROSECUTIONS FOR 
TRAFFICKING-RELATED OFFENSES NATIONWIDE TO 22, INCLUDING 12 
FOR SEX TRAFFICKING, 5 FOR CAMEL JOCKEY TRAFFICKING, AND 5 
FOR ABUSES AGAINST DOMESTIC WORKERS. 
 
(Note: On July 5, President Khalifa issued a federal law that 
prohibits persons below age 18 from either sex from 
participating in camel races, and subjects traffickers to 
jail sentences not exceeding three years, and/or fines of not 
less than 50,000 Dirhams, or $13,500.  In the case of repeat 
offenders, the penalties will be doubled.  The law took 
effect upon signature.) 
 
-- The UAEG has provided us with evidence of 3 prosecutions 
(7 defendants) of sex trafficking in Dubai court.  A chart 
provides case numbers, names of the accused, type of 
accusation, and sentence.  The traffickers were of 
Bangladeshi (2), Indian (2), Azerbaijani (2), and Russian (1) 
nationality.  The accusations include operating a brothel, 
encouraging prostitution, rape, assault, and illegal 
residency.  The cases resulted in jail sentences ranging from 
two to five years, deportation, and the closure of three 
brothels. 
 
-- The UAEG has already provided us with evidence of 5 cases 
of trafficking of underage camel jockeys, 9 cases of sex 
trafficking, and 5 cases of abuses against domestic workers 
(ref B). 
 
MECHANISM FOR IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF VICTIMS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation: Develop and implement a formal 
mechanism for the systematic identification and protection of 
trafficking victims, including women in sexual servitude and 
women and men trafficked as domestic workers and laborers. 
Expand the availability of hotlines for foreign workers to 
report instances of abuse and to seek assistance. 
 
UAEG Response: Completed (ref B). 
 
ESTABLISHING SHELTERS; FORMAL PROTECTION 
---------------------------------------- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation:  Establish shelters in Abu Dhabi 
and Dubai for trafficking victims, particularly for abused 
domestic workers, women forced into sexual servitude, and 
male laborers, where such victims can receive protection, 
including counseling, medical, physiological, and other 
appropriate rehabilitation assistance regardless of their 
immigration status.  Articulate how the U.A.E. government 
will extend formal protection to domestic workers and other 
laborers, currently without any protection outside of their 
employment contracts. 
 
UAEG Response: Being addressed (ref B). 
 
PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN 
------------------------- 
 
Action Plan Recommendation:  Conduct broad public awareness 
campaigns highlighting the rights and obligations of domestic 
workers and laborers, and the consequence of abusing such 
workers. 
 
UAEG Response: 
 
There continues to be a steady stream of newspaper articles 
in the major daily papers intended to raise public awareness 
about working conditions and workers' rights, and the 
government's role in address labor issues: 
 
-- "Al Khaleej" July 29: The Ministry of Labor in Dubai 
blacklisted 110 companies in Dubai for not paying wages to 
their employees. 
 
-- "Khaleej Times" July 29: Minister of Labor Al Kaabi called 
a Sharjah-based labor recruitment company's practice of 
making 3,000 workers accept gold instead of cash wages "a 
serious offense" and a violation of the labor law. 
 
-- "Khaleej Times" July 31: The Ministry of Labor has 
proposed establishing an independent Authority for Labor 
Security that would ensure companies comply with labor rules 
and accounting practices. 
 
-- "Gulf News" Aug. 1: The Ministry of Labor will soon begin 
imposing fines on companies that violate the four-hour midday 
break rule for outdoor workers.  Thus far, violators have had 
their transactions with the Labor Ministry temporarily 
suspended.  Violators could face jail sentences of up to six 
months and/or fines of up to $2,700. 
 
-- "Gulf News" Aug. 1: The Interior Ministry announced the 
arrests of more than 2,500 infiltrators since April 2005. 
 
End progress report. 
 
COMMENT: 
------- 
 
4. The UAEG has provided additional evidence that it is 
investigating and prosecuting cases involving human 
trafficking.  The authorities apparently have more 
information at their disposal about cases, but they had 
understood that they only needed to provide the suggested 
number of cases that were requested in the action plan.  The 
camel jockey problem is being resolved, but apparently no one 
anticipated the logistical issues that would arise during the 
repatriation process.  The unfortunate result is that UAE law 
enforcement personnel may have actually eased up on their 
raids of camel jockey farms because the rehabilitation 
centers are at capacity. 
SISON