LAHORE, June 21: A group of 22 children, aged four to 14, who worked as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates returned home on Tuesday. Officials of the Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB), the Overseas Pakistani Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Federal Investigation Agency received them at the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Two UAE officials accompanied the children.

The children were taken to the CPWB, where they are expected to stay till their parents are located.

Speaking at a press conference at the bureau, Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said the government was determined to unearth elements involved in trafficking children to the Middle East and award exemplary punishment to them.

He appreciated the efforts made by states in the Middle East to locate such children and send them to their countries.

He said arrangements had been made to house the children and provide health and education facilities to them.

He said the government would provide financial assistance to families of such children, if they came forward.

The chief minister said a centre was being set up in the provincial capital to rehabilitate about 500 destitute children.

A similar centre would be set up in Rahim Yar Khan, because a majority of ‘camel children’ came from that region, he said.

CPWB chief Dr Faiza Asghar said the UAE government had so far recovered 280 Pakistani children from camel-owners. She said a second batch of 34 children would arrive here next week. She said that the bureau had hired two psychologists to help the children.

The bureau had deputed a person in Rahim Yar Khan to locate the children’s families, she added.