UAE CAMEL JOCKEY LAW ON THE BOOKS

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003002

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR G, G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA AND NEA/ARPI
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ELAB TC
SUBJECT: UAE CAMEL JOCKEY LAW ON THE BOOKS



1. (U) UAE President Khalifa issued a federal law July 5 that
prohibits persons below 18 years of age from taking part in
camel races, and subjects traffickers to jail sentences
and/or fines. The new law received prominent coverage in
both the Arabic and English press, which touted it as the
first law of its kind in the region. The Mission has
scheduled meetings with UAEG, NGO, and source country
embassies and consulates for G/TIP Reports Officer Feleke
Assefa, who will be in Abu Dhabi and Dubai July 6-14
assessing the UAE's progress in achieving the six steps in
the Department's 60-day action plan.


2. (U) The UAE's new law contains four articles, the
unofficial translation of which follows:

Article 1: All procedures that have been used to bring
children under age 18 of either sex into the UAE to work in
the camel racing industry will be cancelled.

Article 2: Persons violating the law will be subject to a
prison term of up to three years and/or a fine not less than
50,000 Dirhams ($13,500). The penalties will be doubled for
repeat offenders. (Note: Offenders could be subject to
tougher penalties if such punishment is incorporated in any
other law.)

Article 3: The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is
empowered to implement the law in coordination with other
concerned authorities.

Article 4: The law will be published in the UAEG Official
Gazette and enforced as of the date of its publication.


3. (SBU) In a meeting with the Consul General in Dubai the
morning of July 6, Dubai Immigration head Brigadier Saeed bin
Beleilah offered his congratulations at the fact that the
long-awaited law had finally been issued. In the presence of
the CG, he then phoned one of his immigration enforcement
agents and instructed him to turn his attention to camel
farms in the emirate of Dubai, and to "bring in" any underage
workers he found there, "whether jockeys, or the boys who
care for and feed the camels." Asked what Dubai Immigration
would do with any underage workers found, Bin Beleilah said
they would be taken to the private shelter run by Sharla
Mussabah, which now received funding from the government of
Dubai. He cautioned, however, that there was no guarantee
that any jockey would be found ) many had already been moved
to other emirates, a trend that would likely increase now
that the decree criminalizing such labor had been issued.


4. (U) The law was issued in line with federal legislation,
including Law No. 1 of 1972 related to ministries'
specializations, ministers' authorities and amended laws; Law
No. 6 of 1973 on the entry and residence of foreign nationals
and its amendments; Law No. 8 of 1980 related to the
organization of labor relations and its amendments; Law No. 3
of 1987 on the issue of the penal code; and Law No. 35 of
1992 on the issue of punitive procedures laws.
SISON