UAE urged not to allow use of children under 18

The ban on the use of children under 15 as jockeys in camel-racing in the United Arab Emirates is a 'positive' move but not 'adequate', said convenor of the Angikar Bangladesh.

The Angikar Bangladesh has been campaigning against the use children as camel jockeys as some of them have died after being seriously injured when they fell from camels during the race.

In a statement on Monday, convenor of the organisation Engineer Muhammad Helaluddin demanded that the minimum age for employment for a camel jockey should be 18.

"Although the authority in the UAE has recently prohibited the employment of any child under 15, it is still responsible for any casualty during the race," he said.

A spokesman for the UAE Embassy in Dhaka recently said that no one is permitted to ride camels in races unless they have a minimum weight of 35 kg, and are not less than 15 years old as stated in their passports. The spokesman also compared the accidents of camel-racing with horse-racing.

The Angikar Bangladesh pointed out that children are not used in horse racing.

It said that children are being trafficked from several countries, including Bangladesh, into the UAE for use as camel jockeys.

Angikar Bangladesh launched a signature campaign on November 22 demanding that the United Nations form an international tribunal for trial of those involved in child trafficking and the organisers of the camel racing.

It termed the employment of children as camel jockeys 'inhuman' and 'barbaric'.