25 October 2004	Monday	10 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 24: A Pakistani minor boy who lost his life in a camel race in United Arab Emirates last month had been sold by his father.

Kaleem Husain died after falling from a camel during a race on Sept 28. His body was flown back on Oct 13 and buried at his native town in D.G.Khan.

His brother Murtaza, who was also sold to an Arab employer (kafil) along with him was deported on Oct 21 following the tragic incident.

Murtaza has been handed over to the Overseas Foundation, Islamabad. He told the Federal Investigation Agency that his father Muhammad Husain had taken him and his brother Kaleem to the Gulf three years ago where he got them recruited as camel jockeys. Loathing his father for his cruel act, Murtaza refused to return home.

The FIA (Multan) raided Muhammad Husain's whereabouts in D.G. Khan and arrested him on Saturday.

Quoting Mr Husain, FIA Deputy Director (Multan) Rana Irfan said that he had sold his children due to extreme poverty. "I had to feed my 10 children and two wives. I considered getting two of my children recruited as camel jockeys an easy method to make money," Husain said.

Giving details about the agent involved in the child smuggling, Husain said he had paid Rs50,000 to a local agent, Abdullah, who prepared his, his wife and two children's travel documents. After reaching the UAE, Abdullah's brother-in-law, Ibrahim, received them and introduced them to a kafil.

Husain said he and his wife returned Pakistan after some time.

A case has been registered against Husain under the Human Trafficking Ordinance of 2002 and Immigration Ordinance, 1979.

The deputy director said that a special team had been constituted to round up the agents involved in this crime.

The demise of Kaleem draws attention to the plight of those Pakistani minors who continue to serve as camel jockeys in the Gulf.

The government has no data how many Pakistani minors have been serving there as camel jockeys.

The government also does not bother to send police investigation liaison officers there to assess the situation. The Pakistani embassy has also failed to look into the matter.

Deputy Director (immigration) Mushtaq Sukhera toldDawn that only three child smuggling related cases had been reported during 2004.

He said people involved in this business mostly used to transport their own children as well as those of their relatives.

"Poverty is the prime factor which forces parents to go to the extent of selling their loved ones to work as camel jockeys," he added

The immigration officials use different methods to track down child smugglers. If a family with minor children travels to the Gulf for first time, it carries no luggage and has a poor outlook. Children bear no resemblance with their siblings travelling with them or difference between their real age and the one mentioned on their passports.

According to reports, most children, being smuggled to the Gulf, belong to southern Punjab and Sindh. The practice of sending them to the UAE is said to have kicked off from Rahimyar Khan in 1979. The influx of Arab Sheikhs to this area for the purpose of hunting in Cholistan in 1970s had encouraged child smuggling to the UAE for camel racing.

They gave parents or guardians in cash or kind in return for sending their children for camel racing. This flow of wealth brought visible prosperity into their lives and attracted neighbouring areas to send their children as well.

Most camel jockeys have been smuggled to the Gulf from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and African countries.

According to anti-slavery, children continue to be trafficked from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen to be used as camel jockeys in the UAE. The use of children as jockeys in camel racing is itself extremely dangerous and can result in serious injury and even death.

Some children are also abused by traffickers and their employers (e.g. depriving them of food and beating them).

The children's separation from their families and their transportation to a country where the people, culture and usually the language are completely unknown to them, leaves them dependent on their employers and de facto forced labourers.