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K S R Menon in Dubai
The United Arab Emirates has banned the employment of children less than 15 years as camel jockeys from September next, slapping steep fines and penalties on violators.
"No one will be permitted to ride camels in camel races unless they have a minimum weight of 45 kgs, and are not less than fifteen years old, as stated in their passports," the official news agency WAM announced on Monday quoting Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Emirates Camel Racing Federation.
Hamdan said all owners of camel racing stables would be responsible for returning children under fifteen currently employed as jockeys to their home countries, WAM reported in obvious reference to worldwide criticism that UAE has earned for employing child jockeys from poor Asian countries.
Hamdan, who is also UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, said the measures were being introduced to make camel racing a 'worthy' sport and added that airports and seaports have been notified to ensure that no child whose age is below 15 and is suspected of being brought into the country to be employed as a camel jockey is admitted.
"The UAE ministry of interior has been assigned the task of implementing the new rules, in association with the local municipalities, in each of the seven emirates," he said admitting that 'infringements' in rules of camel racing which was a 'national heritage' had 'harmed the objectives' of the sport.
Announcing steep fines for the violators, the chairman of Emirates Camel Racing Federation said the first violation would invite a fine of 20,000 UAE Dirhams (nearly US $1,546 or Rs 72,800), while the second would ban the violator from the sport for a year.
"Third and subsequent transgressions would lead to prison," the minister said, but details were not given.
"The Camel Racing Federation has decided to introduce these measures with a view to maintaining camel racing as a worthy sport that successfully meets its objectives," Hamdan stated.
"These objectives are to maintain our national heritage, and to foster social links and relationships between the country's citizens," he said noting that there have been certain infringements of the existing rules of the federation.
"These infringements have harmed the objectives of the sport, and have also been in breach of the legal structure upon which the UAE is based, whether in terms of its domestic legislation or its obligations under the terms of various international conventions and agreements," he said.
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