Wanted: Child Camel Jockeys
The trafficking of young children for forced labour is one of the fastest growing areas in international crime. A study by the Ansar Burney Trust found that child trafficking has picked up considerable momentum over the past few years and one of the most disturbing roles these children were being forced into were those of camel jockeys. Children, some as young as 4 years old, are forced to work up to 18 hours a day in the scorching heat of the deserts.
Stories of cruelty inflicted on many of the children involved them being tied up in chains in the desert heat, beaten with metal rods and leather whips, cut with blades and being raped by their "owners". They are deliberately underfed and malnourished to keep their weigh down and allow the camel on which they ride to run faster. Some are fed only three biscuits a day with water. If that does not bring their weight down, they are forced to wear metal helmets to make them bleed and reduce weight that way.
Another reason that very young children are used is the fact that when scared or in pain - they scream; and the louder the child screams in pain the faster the camel to which he is strapped will run.
The children are fastened to the camels with Velcro, but the ride is so rough that many fall and are gravely injured - dying a few days later due to the lack of medical attention or care. Ansar Burney estimates that as of last year, there were more than 20,000 children working as camel jockeys all over the Middle East - majority of whom had been smuggled from South Asia and Africa.
Stories of cruelty inflicted on many of the children involved them being tied up in chains in the desert heat, beaten with metal rods and leather whips, cut with blades and being raped by their "owners". They are deliberately underfed and malnourished to keep their weigh down and allow the camel on which they ride to run faster. Some are fed only three biscuits a day with water. If that does not bring their weight down, they are forced to wear metal helmets to make them bleed and reduce weight that way.
Another reason that very young children are used is the fact that when scared or in pain - they scream; and the louder the child screams in pain the faster the camel to which he is strapped will run.
The children are fastened to the camels with Velcro, but the ride is so rough that many fall and are gravely injured - dying a few days later due to the lack of medical attention or care. Ansar Burney estimates that as of last year, there were more than 20,000 children working as camel jockeys all over the Middle East - majority of whom had been smuggled from South Asia and Africa.
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