REPORT OF MORE TIP PROSECUTIONS, CAMEL JOCKEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 003437

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB ETRD PHUM KJAN TC
SUBJECT: REPORT OF MORE TIP PROSECUTIONS, CAMEL JOCKEY
REPATRIATIONS

REF: A. STATE 99833


B. ABU DHABI 3297

C. ABU DHABI 3194


1. Summary: UAEG progress on addressing the human trafficking
problem has continued right through the August 2 60-day TIP
action plan assessment period deadline (ref A). At the
request of the Consul General, the Dubai Justice Department
provided information on three new sex trafficking
prosecutions, bringing to 22 the total number of nationwide
investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking reported
to us since the action plan was delivered to the UAEG on June

2. On the underage camel jockey front, both Ministry of
Interior and UNICEF officials have told us of the imminent
repatriation of 290 children rescued from camel jockey farms
(approximately 150 Bangladeshis and 140 Pakistanis). The
Bangladeshis will go home in tranches because their
government can only accommodate 50 of them at one time, while
the Pakistanis must wait until Pakistan International
Airlines finds seats for them on a flight. The nationwide
number of underage camel jockeys identified by authorities
has reached 690, 77 of them from Dubai. The plight of
domestic workers and laborers continues to receive almost
daily attention in the local press, as do government actions
to protect workers from employers who do not live up to their
responsibilities.


2. Summary continued: The following is a review of progress
made since our July 27 update on the mini-action plan (ref
B),keyed to the six points in the action plan. It is based
on information provided to us by the UAEG and the local
press. Although the 60-day action plan assessment period is
behind us, we will continue to press the UAEG to sustain its
anti-TIP efforts in the months ahead. End Summary.


3. Begin progress report:

NATIONAL COORDINATOR
--------------

Action Plan Recommendation: Appoint a national coordinator
with sufficient authority to oversee the implementation of
this mini-action plan.

UAEG Response: Completed (see ref C).

IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION FOR CAMEL JOCKEYS
-------------- --

Action Plan Recommendation: Identify and provide protection,
within the U.A.E., for at least 700 foreign child camel
jockeys that are trapped in exploitation and begin providing
them with appropriate rehabilitation, repatriation, and
reintegration services. The number of victims identified and
protected at government-provided shelters or elsewhere will
be verified by the International Organization for Migration
or UNICEF.

UAEG Response:

NEW DEVELOPMENT: UAEG WILL SOON REPATRIATE APPROXIMATELY 290
BOYS FROM PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH (SEE BELOW),WHICH WILL
BRING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPATRIATIONS TO 459 SINCE JUNE 2.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEYS IDENTIFIED BY THE
UAEG HAS INCREASED TO 690.

(Note: On May 8, 2005, the UAE Ministry of Interior and
UNICEF signed a project agreement for identifying, rescuing,
rehabilitating and reintegrating up to 3,000 children
estimated to be in the UAE working in the camel jockey
industry. Since June 2, the UAE has established three
shelters in Abu Dhabi for housing and rehabilitating children
rescued from camel farms. While at the shelters, the
children receive health, psychological, and social care in
order to prepare them for repatriation, according to
information provided by the UAEG.)

-- According to UAEG statistics through August 8, 690 boys
have been identified in the camel jockey industry, including
77 from Dubai Emirate. Repatriation formalities of 318 cases
have been finalized under UNICEF supervision and in
conjunction with source country embassies. (Note: The UAEG
says that 169 children have been repatriated already, and
that this was done "after ensuring that the children have
received their compensation due from the date of their
arrival in UAE up to the date of their departure." End
note). A breakdown by nationality of those in the
repatriation pipeline shows that the majority are from
Pakistan, and the remainder from Bangladesh, Sudan,
Mauritania, and Eritrea. In addition, as of August 8, there
were 372 boys in the three shelters. The nationality
breakdown for those boys is as follows: 173 from Pakistan,
133 from Bangladesh, 57 from Sudan, 5 from Mauritania, and 4
from Eritrea.

-- The UAE is prepared to repatriate approximately 150
Bangladeshis. A three-person team from Bangladesh (two
government officials and one representative from the Women,s
Lawyers Association) is in the UAE this week to complete
formalities for repatriating the boys. Ministry of Interior
Social Support Center officials told us that 100 Bangladeshi
children may have to remain in the UAE a little longer
because the Bangladeshi government can only accommodate 50
children one time. This could temporarily affect the pace of
rescue and rehabilitation of additional Bangladeshi children
in the UAE because the three rehabilitation centers, or
shelters, are at capacity, Ministry of Interior officials
told Pol Chief.

-- The UAE is also prepared to repatriate 140 Pakistanis.
UNICEF and Ministry of Interior officials said that these
children would have been returned to Pakistan sooner, but
Pakistan International Airlines has not been able to
accommodate this many children on one of its flights. A
Ministry of Interior Social Support Center contact told Pol
Chief that some children may be booked on other airlines to
get around the problem.

INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION
--------------

Action Plan Recommendation: Investigate and begin prosecuting
at least 10 persons responsible for the trafficking, abuse,
and exploitation of trafficked children in the camel racing
industry. Investigate and commence prosecution of at least 5
cases involving the trafficking of women for sexual
exploitation. Investigate and commence prosecuting at least
5 cases of abuse of foreign domestic workers and laborers.
Persons convicted should receive sufficient penalties
reflecting the heinous nature of trafficking crimes. All
investigations and prosecutions should be conducted with due
regard to individual human rights.

UAEG Response:

NEW DEVELOPMENT: DUBAI EMIRATE REPORTED TO US INFORMATION ON
THREE PROSECUTIONS FOR SEX TRAFFICKING (SEE BELOW),BRINGING
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REPORTED PROSECUTIONS FOR
TRAFFICKING-RELATED OFFENSES NATIONWIDE TO 22, INCLUDING 12
FOR SEX TRAFFICKING, 5 FOR CAMEL JOCKEY TRAFFICKING, AND 5
FOR ABUSES AGAINST DOMESTIC WORKERS.

(Note: On July 5, President Khalifa issued a federal law that
prohibits persons below age 18 from either sex from
participating in camel races, and subjects traffickers to
jail sentences not exceeding three years, and/or fines of not
less than 50,000 Dirhams, or $13,500. In the case of repeat
offenders, the penalties will be doubled. The law took
effect upon signature.)

-- The UAEG has provided us with evidence of 3 prosecutions
(7 defendants) of sex trafficking in Dubai court. A chart
provides case numbers, names of the accused, type of
accusation, and sentence. The traffickers were of
Bangladeshi (2),Indian (2),Azerbaijani (2),and Russian (1)
nationality. The accusations include operating a brothel,
encouraging prostitution, rape, assault, and illegal
residency. The cases resulted in jail sentences ranging from
two to five years, deportation, and the closure of three
brothels.

-- The UAEG has already provided us with evidence of 5 cases
of trafficking of underage camel jockeys, 9 cases of sex
trafficking, and 5 cases of abuses against domestic workers
(ref B).

MECHANISM FOR IDENTIFICATION AND PROTECTION OF VICTIMS
-------------- --------------

Action Plan Recommendation: Develop and implement a formal
mechanism for the systematic identification and protection of
trafficking victims, including women in sexual servitude and
women and men trafficked as domestic workers and laborers.
Expand the availability of hotlines for foreign workers to
report instances of abuse and to seek assistance.

UAEG Response: Completed (ref B).

ESTABLISHING SHELTERS; FORMAL PROTECTION
--------------

Action Plan Recommendation: Establish shelters in Abu Dhabi
and Dubai for trafficking victims, particularly for abused
domestic workers, women forced into sexual servitude, and
male laborers, where such victims can receive protection,
including counseling, medical, physiological, and other
appropriate rehabilitation assistance regardless of their
immigration status. Articulate how the U.A.E. government
will extend formal protection to domestic workers and other
laborers, currently without any protection outside of their
employment contracts.

UAEG Response: Being addressed (ref B).

PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
--------------

Action Plan Recommendation: Conduct broad public awareness
campaigns highlighting the rights and obligations of domestic
workers and laborers, and the consequence of abusing such
workers.

UAEG Response:

There continues to be a steady stream of newspaper articles
in the major daily papers intended to raise public awareness
about working conditions and workers' rights, and the
government's role in address labor issues:

-- "Al Khaleej" July 29: The Ministry of Labor in Dubai
blacklisted 110 companies in Dubai for not paying wages to
their employees.

-- "Khaleej Times" July 29: Minister of Labor Al Kaabi called
a Sharjah-based labor recruitment company's practice of
making 3,000 workers accept gold instead of cash wages "a
serious offense" and a violation of the labor law.

-- "Khaleej Times" July 31: The Ministry of Labor has
proposed establishing an independent Authority for Labor
Security that would ensure companies comply with labor rules
and accounting practices.

-- "Gulf News" Aug. 1: The Ministry of Labor will soon begin
imposing fines on companies that violate the four-hour midday
break rule for outdoor workers. Thus far, violators have had
their transactions with the Labor Ministry temporarily
suspended. Violators could face jail sentences of up to six
months and/or fines of up to $2,700.

-- "Gulf News" Aug. 1: The Interior Ministry announced the
arrests of more than 2,500 infiltrators since April 2005.

End progress report.

COMMENT:
--------------


4. The UAEG has provided additional evidence that it is
investigating and prosecuting cases involving human
trafficking. The authorities apparently have more
information at their disposal about cases, but they had
understood that they only needed to provide the suggested
number of cases that were requested in the action plan. The
camel jockey problem is being resolved, but apparently no one
anticipated the logistical issues that would arise during the
repatriation process. The unfortunate result is that UAE law
enforcement personnel may have actually eased up on their
raids of camel jockey farms because the rehabilitation
centers are at capacity.
SISON