Helping Camel Jockeys

At a meeting in Abu Dhabi in the spring of 2007, the UAE, UNICEF and the governments of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritania and Sudan agreed to extend until 2009 extensive social programs to support former camel jockeys in their homes.

The UAE also approved initial funding of $8.2 million to support the expanded program and signed agreements with the four countries to establish claims facilities that would provide additional compensation for the former camel jockeys, particularly those who had suffered injuries and required medical treatment. The compensation is available not just to those repatriated in 2005 but to all former camel jockeys going back to 1993.

Prior to moving forward, the UAE talked to experts in trafficking and child labor from UNICEF and elsewhere about the best way to provide compensation to the former jockeys, who came from some of the poorest parts of the world.

The experts expressed concern that any compensation be carefully managed and distributed to ensure that it benefited the children. They stressed that sending large amounts of cash into these poor communities without the proper follow-up could be destabilizing and might create unnecessary friction or attract criminals.

The child trafficking experts also warned that giving out large sums of money to the families of former child jockeys could inadvertently end up encouraging desperate parents to traffic their children in hopes of cashing in on some future reward.

The UAE negotiated agreements with the four source governments in 2007 to establish claims facilities overseen by independent boards in each country. The negotiations included the appropriate range of compensation as well as how the compensation would be decided and distributed. This was done to ensure that the compensation would be distributed fairly and with close attention to the needs of the individual children and their communities.

The claims facilities were to be overseen by independent boards with two representatives from the home country and one from the UAE. They would meet regularly to review claims by the former camel jockeys. All parties agreed the claims facilities would be the exclusive avenue for the camel jockeys to be awarded money.

To ensure they reach as many children as possible, the boards have set minimal requirements for documentation. Families are also offered free legal assistance if they need help filling out the claim forms.

Each former camel jockey receives a minimum payment of $1,000. Although that might not seem like a lot of money by Western standards, it is life-changing compensation in the home villages of former camel jockeys. For example, the minimum payment is at least 10 times the average annual salary in southern Pakistan, where the per capita income remains below $100, according to a recent World Food Programme study.

In addition, any camel jockey who suffered injuries during his racing career is eligible for more financial help, depending on the extent of his injuries and requirements for medical treatment. There is no cap on the total that can be awarded to each jockey.

Also eligible for compensation are the parents or guardians of any child killed while camel racing in the UAE. In southern Pakistan, one child was awarded $10,000 after it was determined that he would have a difficult time earning a living due to a leg injury. The board decided that amount, invested properly, would be sufficient to provide lifetime support.

Since the beginning of 2008, the claims facilities in the four countries have awarded more than $1.6 million in compensation to nearly 900 former camel jockeys. That amount does not include separate payments for medical treatments. Hundreds more applications are in the review process.

It is impossible to know exactly how many former child jockeys might be eligible for compensation, in addition to the 1,077 already identified and repatriated.

But to ensure that as many children as possible are reached, the four governments, with support from the UAE, have broadcast their efforts widely, even into even the most remote areas.

That includes publishing announcements about the UAE compensation program in newspapers and on the radio, posting banners and distributing brochures and speaking with leaders of community groups, churches and mosques. In Pakistan, where the government set up a camel jockey hotline, an additional 500 possible claimants have been identified.

UNICEF is advising the boards, while still continuing to support social services and educational programs for the former camel jockeys, their families and their communities.