64 rescued child jockeys arrive

The Leader (26 November 2005 )

Lahore: Sixty four Pakistani children used till recently as underage child camel jockeys arrive back home to Pakistan.

"The children used for modern day slavery as camel jockeys were forced to work up to 18 hours a day in the desert heat and fed three biscuits a day to keep their weight down." Fahad Burney, Vice Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust said.

The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International which first brought world attention to the plight of these children some as young as three years old and convinced the UAE leadership to ban their use, a statement in which it praised and thanked President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan along with other leadership of the UAE government for taking such bold steps to save these children.

It may be recalled that after successful meeting of Pakistan's human rights legend Ansar Burney with UAE leadership last year the UAE government banned the use of underage children as camel jockeys and established a shelter home for the rescued children in Seikh Zayed Military city in Abu Dhabi under the kind supervision of the Ansar Burney Trust. Since then hundreds of children have been released from desert camps, treat for their injuries and send back to their homes - Online

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