UAE ANNOUNCES CAMEL JOCKEY LAW IN EFFECT BY MARCH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 001167

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO USTR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015
TAGS: PREL ETRD ELAB PHUM TC
SUBJECT: UAE ANNOUNCES CAMEL JOCKEY LAW IN EFFECT BY MARCH
31

REF: A. STATE 31467


B. ABU DHABI 507

C. ABU DHABI 663

Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: After weeks of lobbying by the Ambassador,
Deputy Prime Minister and de facto Foreign Foreign Minister
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed (HbZ) issued a statement March 13
announcing that a law will be on the books by April 16, 2005
banning jockeys under age 16 from participating in camel
races. On March 14, the UAEG issued a new statement revising
the effective date of the law to March 31 (coinciding with
the last day of the TIP reporting year, a date which the
Ambassador had discussed with key UAE leaders). The law will
stipulate that the jockeys' weight must not be less than 45
kilograms. A medical committee will conduct tests on all
jockeys as part of the pre-race handicapping. HbZ called on
camel breeders who employ underage children as jockeys to
return them to their countries. He also instructed the UAE's
ports of entry to ensure that no underage children enter the
country for the purpose of being used as camel jockeys.


2. (C) Summary continued: The Government announcement of
the law follows expressions of commitment by the UAE
leadership over the past several weeks to eliminate the
trafficking and abuse of young boys as camel jockeys. This
commitment and the announcement of this law are positive, but
progress on eliminating the problem has been slow. Drawing
from Ref A demarche, Ambassador has underlined to a number of
key UAE leaders that visible progress needs to be seen on the
issue of underaged boys being trafficked into the UAE for
camel races and that a formal agreement with the IOM needs to
be signed. UAEG officials state that their goal is to have
eliminated the practice in time for the 2005/2006 racing
season. We have made very clear with our Emirati
interlocutors that the UAE risks a Tier 3 assessment in the
next TIP report. End Summary


3. (C) On March 13, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed issued a
statement announcing that a law will be on the books by April
16, 2005 banning jockeys under age 16 from participating in
camel races. The government issued a new statement on March
14 revising the effective date of the law to March 31,
coinciding with the final day of the USG TIP reporting year.
HbZ warned that those who violated the law would face legal
action, and that the Ministry of Interior would enforce the
law in cooperation with the municipalities. The law also
will stipulate that the jockeys' weight must not be less than
45 kilograms. A medical committee will conduct tests on all
jockeys as part of the pre-race handicapping. HbZ called on
camel breeders who employ underage children as jockeys to
return them to their countries. He also instructed the UAE's
ports of entry to ensure that no underage children enter the
country for the purpose of being used as camel jockeys. "The
(federal) Cabinet is keen to keep the camel racing sport
clean and in conformity with efforts to preserve traditions
and heritage, and to strengthen social bonds among citizens,"
HbZ said. He urged owners of racing camels to fully comply
with the law, adding that President Sheikh Khalifa and Vice
President and Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid of
Dubai had issued oral directives emphasizing the strict
enforcement of the law.


4. (C) In an effort to move the UAEG, Ambassador has
vigorously expressed USG concerns on the continued
trafficking of minors for exploitation as camel jockeys and
delivered Ref A points with an emphasis on the need for
immediate action in a series of conversations during the
period February 24-March 12 with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Zayed, Interior Minister Saif bin Zayed,
Presidential Affairs Minister Mansour bin Zayed, Information
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Economy Minister Lubna
Al-Qasimi, Labor Minister Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi, Min
State Finance Khirbash, Ras Al Khaimah Crown Prince, and MFA
U/S Abdullah Rashid. All acknowledged the problem of
underage foreign children working as camel jockeys and
stressed UAEG commitment to enact federal legislation this
spring that would outlaw the practice. The issue was again
raised during a March 12 call on Dubai Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Rashid by Ambassador, AUSTR Novelli, and CG Dubai. MbR
noted that he did not believe that the issues could be
handled in an emirate-by-emirate basis and that there needed
to be a federal solution. In each of these conversations, we
have urged that the UAE authorities take action to care for
the children involved in the camel racing industry, including
those observed by USG visitors at Dubai's Nad al Sheba
racetrack. We have also emphasized the need for a formal
mechanism to repatriate foreign victims of trafficking and
suggested that a formal agreement with IOM might be explored.
(Note: MFA U/S Abdullah Rashid informed Ambassador that the
UAE was interested in working with IOM but would wait to sign
an MOU with the organization until after a new UAE
anti-trafficking law was promulgated.)


5. (C) Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed
(AbZ) has told us that Dubai, and in particular, Deputy Ruler
and (titular) federal Minister of Finance Sheikh Hamdan bin
Rashid (HbR) has been "the major obstacle" to implementing
the plan. HbR is a patron of traditional races featuring
young camels that cannot support the weight of adult jockeys;
he has been dead-set against implementing the weight
requirement. Sheikh Mansour told Ambassador March 12 that
Interior Minister Sheikh Saif and HbZ (UAE Camel Racing
Federation President) had met with HbR last week to impress
on him the need to eliminate the use of underage camel
jockeys.


6. (C) Sheikh Abdullah told the Ambassador that Abu Dhabi
would press ahead with plans to eliminate the abuse of
underage jockeys even if the Emirate of Dubai tried to block
implementation of the legislation. In such a case, he said
that Abu Dhabi would ban the practice and that the ban would
become de facto law in the other emirates because of Abu
Dhabi's influence. He said that Abu Dhabi (the wealthiest of
the seven emirates) funds most of the prizes for races in the
other emirates except Dubai, and that if the races do not
comply with the law, they would not receive prize money from
Abu Dhabi.


7. (C) Minister of Labor Dr. Al Ka'abi told Ambassador and
visiting A/USTR Novelli on March 10 to expect an announcement
"in the next week" on the plan to eliminate underage camel
jockeys. Al Ka'abi stated that the UAEG had already stopped
the entry of new jockeys into the UAE. He said the plan will
include implementation of track weighing stations, enforcing
the age 15 minimum for camel jockeys, rehabilitation centers
and hospitals, a database to encourage repatriation, and
identification cards certifying the camel jockey's age. The
Ministry of Interior will focus renewed attention on existing
plans including requiring individual, rather than family,
passports, DNA testing at airports to establish parentage of
children entering the UAE, and preventing work visas for
children under 18 (already a law). Other enforcement
mechanisms will include penalties for parents who knowingly
commit their children to work as camel jockeys, employers of
the camel jockeys, and traffickers. These individuals will
face charges including reckless endangerment of children,
illegally employing minors, and bringing illegal aliens into
the country. (Note: Human rights NGO activist Ansar Burney
informed Poloff that he had met with Al Ka'abi at the
Minister's request to discuss approaches for eliminating the
problem. Al Ka'abi said that the government wanted to round
up the young jockeys and return them to their home countries
and families as quickly as possible. Ansar Burney, however,
urged the Minister not to do this, but to commit to
rehabilitating them in shelters and working with NGOs and
source countries to repatriate them gradually. End Note)


8. (C) On March 12, Minister for Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Mansour frankly acknowledged to Ambassador that "all
the boys" at Dubai's end-of-season race March 9 were
underage. However, he also admitted that Dubai was not the
only problem spot, noting that the federal Government would
"not be able to prevent" the use of underage boys at Abu
Dhabi Emirate's end-of-season race at Al-Wathba Racetrack in
two weeks. However, he said that the Interior and Labor
Ministers had promised to have a law criminalizing this
trafficking ready in 3 to 4 weeks. Sheikh Mansour noted that
the federal leadership is against the use of underage
children as camel jockeys, and that President Khalifa had
called the practice "embarrassing for our government." He
said that Khalifa has instructed the Interior Minister to
stop young boys who were potential trafficking victims from
entering the country.


9. (C) Comment: This Ambassador has repeatedly reiterated
to the UAE leadership the need for action to eliminate the
trafficking and abuse of underage camel jockeys ) not just
words. The announcement of the new law is clearly timed to
respond to our warnings. UAEG officials have told us they
are developing an implementation plan and are consulting with
NGOs. However, they have also clearly acknowledged that the
practice will continue through the end of this year's racing
season (which will take place before March 31). We will
continue to urge all high level interlocutors to press ahead
with the law and to take prompt action on other steps
recommended Ref. A, and to note the impending risk of Tier 3
designation. These points will be reiterated during the
March 18-21 visit by Department of Labor Deputy U/S Arnold
Levine. We also shared Ref. A demarche points with UAE
Ambassador to the U.S. Al Asri Al Dhari and his economic
counselor, Reem al Hashemi, both of whom were in Abu Dhabi
for the FTA negotiations. End comment.
SISON