Slavery of baby boys in the United Arab Emirates

[Sarah Ibarruri]

The United Arab Emirates. These are the people Bush wants to give our ports to. Sick people. Not only are they closely associated with Al-Qaida, but get ready for this: they're involved in toddler slavery. Here is an article from a slavery watchdog group. Evidently the UAE is a place that kidnaps little boys, 2 to 5 yrs. old: and this is what they do to them:


http://www.iabolish.org/slavery_today/country_reports/a...

Sheizad, a five-year-old from Bangladesh, wakes each day at 4 a.m. in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He does not remember much about his village, or how he came to the UAE. He may have been lured by recruiters, sold to a middleman by his parents, or kidnapped. Sheizad is now a slave, forced, because of his size, to race camels to benefit his master. By 5 a.m., he is on the track, practicing, training, and racing the camels. He goes to sleep 18 hours later at 11 p.m. Sheizad stays with other young racers in tiny rooms. There are races twice a week for which Sheizad's master wins large monetary prizes. Sheizad has never been paid for his work, yet if his camel races poorly, he is beaten. In a few years, when he is too big to race camels, he will be discarded by his owner. With no money and far from his family, Sheizad's enslavement will end in destitution.

<snip>

There are three typical methods of enslavement: 1) kidnappers steal children away from their families; 2) families sell their sons for relatively high prices, thus attaining sufficient income for the entire family for years; or 3) recruiters lure boys away from their families, promising an education and other appealing life changes.

Once enslaved, the boys must train and ride and maintain the camels, as well as care for their living space. In each of the bi-weekly races, the boys are strapped down to the camels, causing them to scream louder - thus causing the camels to bolt towards the finish line faster. Boys often fall out of the straps and injure themselves; some even die. Violence, however, is not limited to the track. A poor performance, attempted escape, or resistance to racing can all result in additional physical abuse. These conditions lead to 60% of camel jockeys dying or becoming permanently crippled.

<snip>

[leftchick]

1. omg.. I remember reading about this in the NYT

last summer. fuck!

[ShockediSay]

94. sounds bogus

verification?

remember how they drew out Rather

[leftchick]

119. what sounds bogus?

The NYT story? How?

[Erika]

2. and they are not much better with their women

They do not have a democratic government.

Yet we're feeding that country's coffers with our awarding their country port deals?

We all need to write and call our DC reps.

[FreedomAngel82]

18. And Bush has the right to go around and talk about democracy?

WHATEVER!

[northzax]

86. um you sure about that?

cause in Dubai (one of the seven Emirates) women make up 20% of the white collar workforce, and 65% of the university student population. the Emir of Dubai appointed a woman as one of his representatives on the governing council, and in the upcoming elections, women have the same vote as men.

yeah, not great, but the most progressive of any Arab state.

[Wordie]

126. The new UAE Finance Minister is a woman; women vote there, too. nt

[SmokingJacket]

3. that's about the saddest thing ever.... nt

[Fridays Child]

4. Please let's get this on the Greatest page

Kicked and recommended.

[Coexist]

5. I'm ashamed to say I had to Google this to see if it was really true:

http://www.cjsportmed.com/pt/re/cjsm/pdfhandler.0004275... ;jsessionid=D9bItg2ZS8CJbD3iPirrFn3yA1hAf1pRRbN2ONPQywcFMMFQHvQe!276062241!-949856144!9001!-1
<snip>
Today there are camel race tracks near most of the major Gulf cities. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a hub of camel racing activity, it is estimated that at least 16,000 camels race at 17 official racetracks.4 Camel races range from 4 to 10 km, depending on the type and age of the camel, and usually include from 15 to 20 camels and up to 70 or more at the close of the season.1 Average running times for these races range from 6 to 17 minutes, depending on distance covered.2 Mature camels can be 2 metres high at the shoulder, weigh more than 680 kg, and run at speeds of up to 35 to 40 km/h during a race.2 It is not surprising that severe injuries occur in this sport.

<snip>
Although many child jockeys are escorted into the Gulf countries by their parents or other legal guardians for financial gain,5 thousands of children are trafficked from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and countries in East Africa and sold into slavery to serve as camel jockeys.6 Some of these children have been bought from impoverished families by agents. Others are lured from home with promises to their families that they will be employed as domestic servants within their own countries.7 Destinations for young boys trafficked for the purpose of exploitation as camel jockeys include the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.6,8

[Sarah Ibarruri]

7. Don't feel bad for googling it.

I google all kinds of stuff to see if it's true. The kidnap, enslavement, torture and murder of babies almost sounds fake doesn't it? But it's quite true.

[Coexist]

9. at the end of the article, it said that UAE had signed agreements

to stop this, but they left a lot of room for doubt if they would actually carry out their promise.

[FreedomAngel82]

19. Which shows me they didn't have any plans of doing it

[Wordie]

85. Please see post #57...they are taking steps. There have been prosecutions

and the laws have been tightened up. The government is cracking down and it is making sure children are sent back to their families.

Many countries have criminal and "sick" elements within them. We do too. We shouldn't focus our attention only on Moslem countries with this problem.

[Pachamama]

6. I hate to ask this question, but it occurred to me that maybe these little

boys are be forced to doing more than "racing camels"?



Seriously though...if the human sex slave trade is big through Dubai and the UAE, why would these little boys be off limits to their "masters"....

[Katherine Brengle]

8. A slave is a slave is a slave--it's human property, for whatever use...

You concerns are certainly valid, and probably true in at least some cases.

A slave is living property--like a television or a sweater that lives and breathes and dies...

I am deeply disturbed by this.

[BlueEyedSon]

10. Link w/pix: http://www.camelraces.com/

http://www.camelraces.com/

[Katherine Brengle]

12. we posted that at exactly the same time, lol. n/t

[Katherine Brengle]

11. there is an entire website devoted to this subect--

http://www.camelraces.com /

[BlueEyedSon]

13. Heh... great minds!

[Erika]

14. The countries enslaving the boys are W's friends

UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Oman.

Some have even stayed at his Texas Ranch. Corporate globalism, anyone?

[Lars39]

17. I bet W stayed with some of the royals for summer vacations

when he was a teen. Seeing some beheadings would have been right up his alley.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Oh, goodie. Finally, an opponent that deserves swiftboating.

[FreedomAngel82]

16. Amazing and disgusting

I want to just cry for the little babies. Do they not have mother figures? Who raises them?

[Sabien]

20. HBO Real Sports

w/ Bryant Gumbel did a story on this about a year and a half ago.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lucy - Claire]

22. More info.....

http://hrw.org/mideast/saudi/labor /

This is further information of the record of abuse in Saudi Arabia.
As a former employee of the British Immigration Service, I came across many Philippine servants that has were
seriously mistreated by their employers. Employers from the both UEA and Saudi too. The servants would escape and then come to us, because they have breached the terms of their visa.

[nonconformist]

23. I'm just sick over this.

UAE is our "ally"?

[Binka]

24. The UAE Is Bushes Ally WE Don't Matter...EVER

[Bunny]

25. Sickening.

There's a special place in hell, just waiting for the ones who exploit children. Can't happen soon enough, either.

[doni_georgia]

26. Randi covered this yesterday on her show

We need to keep this kicked.

[bunkerbuster1]

27. I'm ashamed to admit I just heard about this yesterday.

And I'm literally sick to my stomach at the moment.

[Wordie]

28. It's not just the UAE who has a slavery problem: Israel & the US do too.

In fact, there is an international problem with it. Why do you single out an arab country for attention, Sarah, when the problem is so widespread?

As the articles below demonstrate (and these were just a few of many available easily through a search), human trafficking is an international problem, touching all countries. Your OP makes it sound as if trafficking in human beings is unique to the UAE, and thus not only gives a biased view, but a highly inflammatory one as well. I chose only two countries, to illustrate my point, but human trafficking isn't a problem in only these two, nor just the UAE, but worldwide.

Israel's Sex Trade Escalating

JERUSALEM, March 23, 2005

(AP) Between 3,000 and 5,000 women have been smuggled into Israel over the past four years in a burgeoning, illegal sex industry, according to a parliamentary committee report issued Wednesday.

Zehava Galon, who heads the Committee Against Trade in Women, said the four-year inquiry showed how women are smuggled across the Egyptian border into Israel and "along the way, raped, beaten and then sold in public auctions." Most of the women are from the former Soviet Union, she said.

The panel faulted judges for light sentences, sometimes only community service, for men running the prostitution rings. The report called for minimum jail terms of 16 years instead.

The report said women are sold to pimps for as much as $10,000 each, work 14-18 hours a day, charge about $30 a client but receive only a small fraction of the money for themselves.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/23/world/main682...

And here's something about the home-grown, United States variety:

Rescued From Sex Slavery

Feb. 23, 2005

(CBS) ...Hundreds of thousands of young, desperate girls are trafficked each year as sex slaves. Some are lured overseas with the promise of a good job, only to be enslaved once they arrive. Others are simply abducted.

...She says that many of the girls on the street look like prostitutes but are actually slaves, ready for purchase and export to Western Europe or the United States.

...But Mexico is more than just a transit country and training ground for Eastern Europeans. In its own right, Mexico is the No. 1 country providing slaves to the United States, accounting for the majority of federal trafficking cases.

...There are an estimated 4,600 women currently held in the United States as sex slaves.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/23/48hours/main6...

And there's this from UNICEF, which shows this is a serious worldwide problem (again, it's not just the UAE, Sarah):

Trafficking and sexual exploitation
© UNICEF/ HQ01-0412/ DeCesare

Trafficking is a violation of fundamental rights.

Trafficking in children is a global problem affecting large numbers of children. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year. There is a demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. Children and their families are often unaware of the dangers of trafficking, believing that better employment and lives lie in other countries.

Child trafficking is lucrative and linked with criminal activity and corruption. It is often hidden and hard to address. Trafficking always violates the child’s right to grow up in a family environment. In addition, children who have been trafficked face a range of dangers, including violence and sexual abuse. Trafficked children are even arrested and detained as illegal aliens.

http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.htm...

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[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Occulus]

42. Excuse the FUCK outta ME, but this isn't about ARABS

This is about giving a country who does these things our port security. Period.

Don't play into their hands by calling this a "racial" issue when it is in fact NOTHING OF THE KIND. That's a canard. A red herring. A distraction, and nothing more.

This is NOT about Arabs in general, this is about the UAE specifically, and for the reason that they've been handed our port security. I would feel exactly the same about it if it were Israel, or the Saudis, or China, or Russia, or even Canada.

Oh, and by the way- enslaving little boys IS sick, and wrong. You ought to know better than to apologize for it by saying it's only a racial issue.

It's NOT. Not by a long shot.

[The Stranger]

50. Please.

If "this is about giving a country who does these things our port security," then no one would do port security. "Period."

As the poster above points out, nearly every nation has sick people who engage in sick behavior. Calling the people of that nation "sick people" is a dead giveaway. Dead giveaway.

But there is simply no way that this is at the root of the tidal wave of anti-UAE memes flowing in every direction. No way.

But it may very well be something else. Something else that has reared its ugly head historically before. Something else that is easily manipulated to focus the masses on the "Other," and accomplish one's ends.

[mondo joe]

99. Nearly every nation has sick people. And no one is suggesting

THEY control our ports either.

Would most Americans want Russia controlling our ports? Or Sweden? No, and no.

Believe what you want, if you have a racism fetish you need to stroke.

[Inland]

63. Or maybe she singles it out because it's being touted as an "ally"

and being given control over our ports.

The fact is, there ARE distinctions to be made between countries when the US claims them as buds and puts it in charge of our infrastructure. Such distinctions as the allowance of quasilegal chattel slavery, the oppression of foreign workers (the majority of residents) so great it LOOKS like chattel slavery, the lack of a single representative institution.

Sure looks like an "Other" to me, and there's nothing about it being the enemy (arabs as a group) of my enemy (hawks and dominionists) that makes it into MY friend. Maybe the entire ME has been unfairly branded, but that doesn't mean that parts of it aren't fairly branded. There really are terrorists that are Arabs, really are oppressive states that are Arab. Really.

Sure looks like it's not a state that is particularly trustworthy, and in fact, a state that I wish would undergo a transformation and soon. I don't see why we should bet our ports on its stability or behavior.

[The Stranger]

65. Which takes us back to my original question. Really.

Can someone post a link to a terrorist act committed by the company or entity in question?

This question has been posted at least five times. Perhaps you could provide the evidence to support all of this?

[Inland]

68. No it doesn't. It doesn't take me to that question at all.

The standard isn't whether one *knows* of terrorism *committed* by the *corporation*. I didn't expect to find Osama Hisself on the Board of Directors, and I don't care that he isn't. Moreover, the past is no promise against future infiltration by moles, or by blackmail, or by the emirs just making shifts in allegiances.

[The Stranger]

75. Unless the persons involved have done something wrong, the only wrong

they have committed is that they are from a certain country, of a certain race, and followers of a certain religion.

It is guilt by association based on race, creed, and sheer unadulterated bigotry.

I realize that the question is uncomfortable in what it reveals.

[Inland]

76. Being owned by a certain repressive, slave, feudal state.

It's not "association" with "a certain race", but *ownership* by a certain country. Owners aren't merely "associated" by race or religion. They control the corporation. To say that the same government that tolerates slavery and runs a feudal state has only a racial or religious association with the individuals in the corporation is nonsense. The association is one of boss and subordinate, between one who gives the orders and one who follows. You call for an examination of the subordinate as if it matters, and ignore the examination of the boss.

IMO, it's enough that the country isn't the US, but that's born of a belief that persons of certain nationalities, like non Americans, don't care as much about American security as Americans as a general proposition. Bigotry, right?

[Wordie]

81. You have a distorted view of the UAE, here is women's rights info:

Surely, it's not perfect, but it's moving in the right direction, imho.

Women's rights: the Arab world and beyond
By: Rachel Brandenburg
Issue date: 3/31/05 Section: Viewpoints

Rarely discussed in the United States, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has become a leader in the fight for women's rights in the Arab world. In the spirit of these last few days of Women's History Month and of my recent return from a conference on women's leadership in the U.A.E., the time for discussion has arrived.

In February, the U.A.E. hosted the first international women's car rally race - the only such competition for women in the Arab world. According to an article published in the international edition of the Jerusalem Post on Mar. 11, one of the Emirate's own residents, Marwa Al Aifa, a 25-year-old business executive, won the first place race title. A Saudi citizen born and raised in the U.A.E., Al Aifa has never visited Saudi Arabia and does not plan to in the near future. Among other things, in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.

Per the requests and demands of the late leader of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Nahyan, the U.A.E. promotes religious tolerance and equal rights for women. In the U.A.E., Al Aifa is allowed to drive (in her case, drive fast), attain high level professional positions, and dress as she wants outside her workplace (because she works for the government, Al Aifais must wear the traditional black abaya over her clothes and a scarf covering her hair at work).

In March, the U.A.E. hosted the first international conference on women's leadership to be held in the Middle East: "Women as Global Leaders: Educating the Next Generation." I was fortunate enough to attend this conference and witness this remarkable feat in the company of seven other Tufts women. Organized by the student councils of Zayed University and sponsored by U.A.E. Minister of Education Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, Microsoft, CNBC and First Gulf Bank, among others, the conference brought together nearly 1,000 women from all over the world. For three days, undergraduate, graduate and Ph. D. students, professors, professionals and government officials from around the globe were treated like royalty and given the opportunity to engage with each other and listen to the stories of women who have successfully achieved national and international leadership positions.

http://www.tuftsdaily.com/media/paper856/news/2005/03/3...

[Inland]

83. Aside from the completely weak and irrelevant nature of the article,

what caught my eye is how the amazing liberality of only having to wear an abaya at work and driving a car came about: an emir wanted it. The next emir may not. If the next leader IS an emir.

Let them apply when the corporation is owned by someone who has as much concern about American security as your average American.

[The Stranger]

91. Right, bigotry.

The sheer volume and complete irrationality of the purported criticism reveal that the source of the deluge is bigotry. Companies and ownership are red herring.

Some screed that the country has a repressive and brutal government. But it is this very repression that suppresses the terrorism there.

Meanwhile, completely and wholly inconsistent with the repression, are the allegations that it is somehow complicit in the very terrorism it is accused of suppressing.

But it is this second notion that has as its heart real bigotry -- guilt by association based on the fact that the people from that nation, that corporation (if you like, it makes no difference), and that part of the world are of an alien, other race and religion.

That is why the only pertinent question is if someone at issue -- be it the company or the individuals working there -- have committed a terrorist act. The rest is guilt by association, and --

Yes, bigotry.

[Inland]

93. There's that word "association" again. It's "ownership",

a specific kind of association that is not based on race, ethnicity, or religion. It's based on the employer, employee legal command structure in which the repressive, feudal state is the boss and the employees take orders.

It's pretty easy to write off all concerns by simply ignoring the ownership and the nature of the owner. After simply ignoring the ownership, and the nature of the owner, of course you are able to state that the only POSSIBLE reason for objection is something else.

And I'm left making post after post asking you to address the ownership point and the fact that the UAE has a record.

But you would rather pretend I never made it, that the ownership doesn't exist, that the UAE is a fine, fine place, because it gets in the way of your attempt to cow everyone with a bigotry charge.

Sorry, dude, not working.

[The Stranger]

113. Still no post to any terrorist act.

Ownership, association, subordinates, leaders -- call it whatever the fuck you want -- unless someone has actually committed a terrorist act, then all of this is nothing but base, vile racism and bigotry.

STILL no one can post a link to any terrorist act. STILL.

[Inland]

114. Besides 9/11 and banking the terrorists, there's only the slavery and

repression.

But wait, the government was not directly involved in 9/11, it was merely involved in businesses that facilitated the terrorist groups.....oh, wait that fucks the UAE up REALLY good, doesn't it? Because that's all that we fear from it's controlled corporation, merely looking the other way.

The UAE. It doesn't do terror. It runs the businesses that makes terror possible. It's the BASF of death. Coming to a port near you.

But merely turning a blind eye to terror isn't terror, and that'll be a helpful distinction once they get the keys to the door.

But go ahead and tell me again it's just racism. It's really winning me over.

[The Stranger]

128. Glad I'm winning you over. But the rhetoric about the "business that

makes terror possible" is right out of Neocon talking points. And . . .

STILL NO POSTED LINK TO A TERRORIST ACT?!?!

[Inland]

130. It's right out of the truth of the matter. And it's enough.

The concept that I have to find a terror act by a current employees is idiotic. Who makes the decisions on next week's hiring? The bosses. Who's the boss? UAE. What is UAE? A repressive feudal monarchy that has found tolerance of slavery, facilitated the banking of terror groups, been one of the three countries taht recognized the Taliban, doesn't recognized Israel.

So tell me what you know about the UAE employees. What assurances can you give that the employees are any better than the bosses who hired them. And the future hires.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Turns out, everything we know about this corporation is bad. And everything else is complete and utter ignorance and whistling in the dark.

Whistling in the dark, hoping the employees turn out better than the bosses, and acting out of fear that acting rationally might let cause demagogues to call me racist. Hey, I'll risk six ports on that basis. Call me a goddamn racist and I'll risk eight. Note that the cons have their own reasons for opposing the deal and I'll risk twelve. Because if racists and neocons are against another attack on the US, then I must be for it or someone will call me names.

What a pants load.

[mondo joe]

104. Who accused the UAE of suppressing terrorism?

Suppressing human rights sure. Suppressing opposition to the UAE sure.

But not terrorism.

[mondo joe]

70. What a funny standard. Would you hire a baby sitter based on

nothing but the lack of any conviction for child abuse?

Wouldn't you want substantial evidence of trustworthiness?

[The Stranger]

74. A "funny" standard, indeed. The only "evidence of untrustworthiness" is

that the babysitter is not a white woman, to use your own analogy.

[mondo joe]

97. What a funny strawman.

Your fallacious response is that the UAE is NO DIFFERENT from ANY OTHER nation other than the skin color of the citizens.

That's a joke.

The UAE is a dictatorship in a seriously unstable area of the globe, with a bad track record on human rights and a dodgy history of association with terrorists and anti american governments.

That's a big fucking departure from Britain, let's say, that goes well beyond skin color.

If you want to defend a repressive regime go ahead, but not with that crappy excuse for logic.

[Pacifist Patriot]

103. For me, this is a moot question.

I don't think ANY company owned by citizens from a foreign country should be involved in port security. And yes, that includes Great Britain, Canada, Australia or any other country with a caucasian majority. I was surprised to find a British company had control of such important ports.

[Wordie]

107. That's a fair concern. I have it too. I just don't think we should make

the UAE the scapegoat.

[Pacifist Patriot]

111. It's not the UAE...

It's a corrupt administration making such a deal possible with any foreign nation.

[FourStarDemocrat]

44. Slavery is widespread--HOWEVER

The question to me is, what are these country's Governments doing about it?? From the link of the original post, it is pretty clear that the UAE Ruling families have done little to nothing to address this crisis. I don't have the information on what the Israeli government, and what the US and other countries where slavery is taking place are doing to stop this practice in the form of laws, investigation and enforcement. Once we have this information, then I think that a fair comparison between countries can be made.

[progressivebydesign]

53. Thank you for the REAL voice of reason.

You put it very eloquently. It's not that UAE is the ONLY country that engages in these things, it's that those things are an accepted practice there, even in this day and age. The UAE apologists have other agendas, but I can't figure out what they might be yet. Just because other countries do something vile, does not make criticism of one particular country moot.

I disagree with America doing business with ANY country that condones exploitation of any of their citizens. I disagree with our Country being in debt to China, who has a horrific human rights history.. and continues to do so. I disagree with American corporations outsourcing jobs and operations to countries where workers are exploited, just to put money in the shareholders pockets. I vehemently disagree with our country selling our security to the highest bidder, when that bidder has unsavory ties to terrorism. Anyone on DU that is consistently defending that decision, as we've seen a few on this thread, by claiming "racism", is trying to pull something. They KNOW it's not about racism. It's about security, it's about the Bush cabal doing backroom deals to enrich the Carlyle Group and all of the Bush family middle east connections.

[Wordie]

57. The State Dept says the UAE is making noticeable progress.

See post #52.

[FourStarDemocrat]

100. According to a June 2005 State Dep't report, the situation is still grave

The U.S.State Department Releases 2005 Trafficking In Persons Report (JUNE 2005)

Link: http://www.uaeprison.com/trafficking_in_persons_united_... (there is much more)

In 2004, according to an NGO, immigration authorities worked with source-country NGOs, embassies, and consulates to rescue and repatriate 400 trafficked former camel jockeys to Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sudan. The government transferred the anti-trafficking portfolio from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of Interior — a ministry with a law enforcement authority — and created a designated anti-child trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior. In December 2004, the government opened a rehabilitation center for the care of rescued child camel jockeys, and from December 2004 to April 2005, rescued approximately 68 children and repatriated 43 of them to their countries of origin, primarily Pakistan. However, the number of rescued and repatriated children through these efforts is insignificant compared to the huge number (estimated in the thousands) openly exploited at camel racetracks throughout the country. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the government investigated, prosecuted, and punished anyone for trafficking, abusing, and exploiting children as camel jockeys.

The U.A.E. Government’s efforts to prosecute crimes relating to trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation were equally disappointing. Despite a few arrests and prosecutions of those involved in such crimes, including travel and employment agencies that reportedly facilitate the trafficking of victims, U.A.E. law enforcement efforts during the year focused largely on the arrest, incarceration, and deportation of over 5,000 foreign women in prostitution, many of whom are likely trafficking victims. The police do not make concerted, proactive efforts to distinguish trafficking victims among women arrested for prostitution and illegal immigration; as a result, victims are punished with incarceration and deportation. Although the U.A.E. criminalized the withholding of employees’ passports by employers, there is inconsistent enforcement of the law, and the practice continues to be widespread in both the private and public sectors. The government claims to have taken civil and administrative actions against hundred of employers who abused or failed to pay their domestic employees. The government does not keep data on trafficking and related investigations, arrests, and prosecutions.

Protection

The U.A.E. Government’s efforts to provide protection and assistance to victims of trafficking were minimal during the reporting period. Its efforts to protect child camel jockeys were limited to the opening of one shelter in Abu Dhabi in December 2004 and the repatriation of approximately 443 rescued child camel jockeys. Given the estimated thousands of boys being openly exploited in the country, the total number rescued and repatriated so far is small. Following increased public attention to the camel jockey situation and rescue efforts by the government, an international NGO alleged that some camel owners are hiding a large number of child victims in the desert and in neighboring countries. However, there is no evidence the government has taken action to investigate and prevent this crime. The government is also working with the Governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan to establish U.A.E. Government-funded shelters in those countries to receive and care for rescued and repatriated children.

[Wordie]

106. Your report is much older. The one I posted has a date of Feb. 1, 2006.

The situation has improved substantially from what your report said (and the material from your report comes from 2004, remember), no doubt because of the material presented in the report you cite, and from pressure from other NGOs as well.

Nobody is trying to excuse this horrible criminality, but the UAE does appear to be taking real steps to fix the problem. Should we condemn them for a problem they are seriously trying to address?

[FourStarDemocrat]

112. Your 'report' is a short 3 paragraph summary.

I am glad that the UAE is making some progress in it's slave labor problem, according to the 3 paragraph excerpt about the Emirates in the State Department multi-country report that you cited. The report that I linked to above (which contains information taken up through April 2005) is specifically about the United Arab Emerites. It is much more detailed. It reports on the most serious situations that must be addressed, and concludes that they have a long way to go in many areas of slavery and human trafficking.

edit:sp

[Wordie]

116. The '06 report notes the '05 report recommendations are being followed.

And despite it's length, it is an update to the report you cited.
Of particular issue in the previous report ('05) was the lack of laws and enforcement. The UAE has now instituted several laws dealing with this issue and is engaging in the strict enforcement of them. Therefore the previous info is out of date.

Here is the recommendation from the report you cited:
The U.A.E. Government needs to enact and enforce a comprehensive trafficking law that criminalizes all forms of trafficking and provides for protection of trafficking victims. The government should also institute systematic screening measures to identify trafficking victims among the thousands of foreign women arrested and deported each year for involvement in prostitution. The government should take immediate steps to rescue and care for the many foreign children trafficked to the U.A.E. as camel jockeys, repatriating them through responsible channels if appropriate. The government should also take much stronger steps to investigate, prosecute, and convict those responsible for trafficking these children to the U.A.E.

And here, again, is the material from the Feb. 1, 2006 interim report, which I cited:

United Arab Emirates

The Government of the UAE has made noticeable progress in addressing trafficking in persons (emphasis mine) in recent months. In July 2005, the government enacted a law criminalizing the use of children under 18 as camel jockeys. Between June and November 2005, the UAE reportedly convicted 17 individuals for child trafficking under this new law, and an additional 31 are under investigation...

In addition, the UAE Government has taken measures to improve its protection of trafficking victims. The Dubai Police Criminal Investigations Department created a Human Trafficking section to coordinate with the Human Rights Care Department to identify possible victims and to investigate their traffickers. Although the government has not yet established a shelter for trafficking victims, it houses them in hotels pending their testimony in court.

Moreover, in coordination with UNICEF, the UAE has repatriated 1,004 rescued child camel jockeys to their home countries. An additional 69 children are housed in a government-run shelter until their families are identified. According to UNICEF, this shelter will remain operational until every child has been repatriated. The police proactively have investigated camel farms, and they plan to continue these visits regularly to ensure that children are not being trafficked back into the camel racing industry.

If you will notice, the recommendations are being followed by the UAE. Furthermore, the report you cite mentions that there were UAE plans even at the time that the '05 report was prepared to strenthen the laws and enforcement.

[Inland]

64. What is the UAE doing about slaveryt?

Buying off the critics.

And as far as I'm concerned, anyone that wants to scratch Israel off the list of foreign states that control our ports has improved the situtation. All management of essential infrastructure must be repatriated.

[progressivebydesign]

51. Why are you continually carrying water for the UAE??? n/t

[Wordie]

58. I've repeatedly said that there may be legitimate reasons why this deal

is not a good one. I've read just briefly that there may have been some secret agreement between the UAE and the Bush administration, in an effort to circumvent US laws. If that report is true, in my opinion that would be a legitimate reason to nix the deal. I just don't like efforts to demonize Muslims.

[bloom]

73. This is what I was thinking also...

It is very easy to find ways to hate people.


Slavery everywhere should be condemned - not just in certain countries.

[The Straight Story]

29. And saddam through babies out of incubators too

And shredded people, and fed them to aliens from planet X.

Just wait - this story and anything negative will eventually get the axe as an urban myth meant to stir up hatred of some group or country.

I guess my point is - there are a lot of positive things one can find on UAE and negative as well (same as most countries). Most the time someone here talks smack about another country we hear 'well, america is worse in many ways so we shouldn't talk' etc and so on.

It just seems rose colored to me that because we hate bush beater so much some change their own standards when dealing with issues. Had this all been reversed and we saw this same story we would be picking it apart and seeing how real it is, how it compares to overall, etc and so on.

I dunno, consistency is good for the soul I think and I don't care if it is dem or rep I am sick of buying people's propaganda without first seeing if it is somewhat real/relevant/how it compares/etc cause one thing I have learned is that politicians for the most part like to lie/stretch truth/give lip service.

Flame away.

[Occulus]

46. Then pick one.

You may choose truth, or consistency.

You may only choose one.

[progressivebydesign]

54. No.. I wont' flame, but I'll point out the ridiculousness of your post.

Your assertion that this, which HAS been documented in many places, is somehow akin to the phony Saddam stories.. is bullshit. And.. that you take it further to assert that it's an "urban myth" is really quite insulting to the children who are suffering.

The POINT of the posts about the inner workings of UAE is to call bullshit on Bush's claims that UAE is a "partner in the war on terror", which they're not (they're a player). It's to call bullshit on Bush and his friends for their claims that UAE is some fucking paragon of Democracy, which they are not... some idiots think confuse capitalism with democracy.

People on DU are not racists, and not hypocrites. I find it so fucking hilarious that ANYONE would accuse DUers of being racist because of this... like WE of all people have to defend ourselves for speaking up about homeland security, and about being controlled by a country of dubious credentials. People here are just as vehement about mortgaging our own fucking country to CHINA, who fails miserably in the human rights arena, yet... has ONE person here accused us of being "anti-asian"? We are vehemently opposed to our governments and corporations outsourcing to areas of Southeast Asia, where terrorism is supported, and where workers are paid meagerly, but has anyone accused us of whining about it? of being racists? of just making shit up because we hate Bush?

The point is that we are SELLING our ports to a foreign entity. I don't care what country it is, actually, because we should NEVER give that kind of control to anyone outside the country. What ISN'T for sale to the highest bidder in our country anymore???

[mondo joe]

72. So your point is someone lied about activities of one government

so all allegations about activities of governments are lies?

Or you just choose not to believe any because they might be lies?

How about allegations of activities of the US government -- believe any of those?

[The Straight Story]

80. Actually the point was

If we doubt things about one government and look into claims I think it is only fair we do that in cases like this one as well. ie, are we too quick to believe something when we want it to be true because it helps our cause (like rethugs were quick to believe anything bad about saddam)?

[mondo joe]

98. So how will you be looking into the claims about UAE precisely?

[The Straight Story]

101. unclesam sites

http://www.google.com/unclesam

And I have looked at a variety of issues.

I am not saying they are not true either - but that people, in some instances, will latch onto a negative report about a country and use it to bolster their position without much fact checking.

And even then - how does uae compare to other countries in this regard and what is the overall picture?

[Botany]

30. Didn't Michael Jackson move there?

HMMMMM?

[bluemarkers]

33. yes he did

that is when I first read about the enslavement of young boys....

[JCMach1]

40. Jackson is in Bahrein

MJ caused a hullaballoo when he tried to use the ladies toilets... He was dressed in an abaya (like a ladY) when he was visiting the mall.

[progressivebydesign]

56. And they have "vice police" that came to the scene.

Not exactly what I'd call a democracy.

[JCMach1]

109. So a freaky guy in a dress startles some ladies in a bathroom...

hmmmm. Would anybody in the US call the cops?

[UncleSepp]

124. Yes.

Cops called, security called, screaming, the whole deal. This has happened to me for being in a ladies' room in a suit.

I figure, as long as I still need a tampon dispenser and a garbage can near the toilet, I probably ought to use the ladies' room. At some time in my future, I will have noplace where I can go pee without fear of retribution!

[starroute]

31. They're supposedly replacing them with robots now

The story came through a couple of weeks ago as a novelty item -- but without any indication of its real significance.

http://www.newswire.co.nz/main/viewstory.aspx?storyid=3...

Kuwait Uses Robot Jockeys For First Time
9:36 AM, 06 Feb 2006

Kuwait has held the first regional camel race using robots as riders after child jockeys were banned following criticism by human rights groups.

The remote-operated robots are shaped like small boys.

Teams from the six Gulf Arab states participated in the race at the start of a five day meeting near the capital, Kuwait City.

Last year, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates banned child jockeys after human rights groups said boys as young as four were being used.

Camel racing is a lucrative and popular sport in the wealthy Gulf Arab region.

For more details see http://www.centralchronicle.com/20060131/3101303.htm

[mom cat]

49. Right! Even if they do, what happens to the kids that are now enslaved?

That country should be sanctioned by us for human rights abuses, not rewarded by us with sweetheart deals that put our country at risk!

See my letter to my senators and rep further down in this thread.

[Neil Lisst]

32. so that's what people were talking about when they said

"camel jockey"

I always wondered.

What a bizarre and sad story. Explains why Michael Jackson has settled there.

Can you smell it? The sweet smell of liberty spreading throughout the mideast?

[hopeisaplace]

34. This is so disgusting and upsetting..my heart is breaking

[twaddler01]

35. Go figure

[Bullshot]

36. So, why hasn't Bush put us on a bombing crusade against the UAE

like he has with Iraq. Didn't we go after Iraq in part because of their human rights abuses?

Oh, my bad. Bush and his family are in bed with the UAE leaders.

Some time in the future, people will look back at this time in our history and wonder what the fuck the people of the U.S. could have been thinking to elect and re-elect this guy.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The Stranger]

39. Great work.

Thank you for going to to the trouble to expose this.

[Dutch]

43. You've put a lot of effort into shooting the messenger

And above you've put a lot of effort into trying to make this about the USA and - needless to say - Israel - but I notice you haven't much to say about the appalling abuses in the UAE highlighted in this thread. And you don't have to believe the OP, even within this thread independent verification has been offered.

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mom cat]

77. Thanks for your clarification. I am hoping that the efforts to stop this

practice are successful. The problem of human slavery around the world is horrendous, and this practice is particularily egregious since the victims are so young.
That said, the practice is not approved of by most Muslims, any more than similiar practices are not approved of the majority of people in the countries in which they occur, regardless of faith.

[jahyarain]

88. yeah

don't point out an atrocity when someone else in the world is doing it too. that's racism (not that "muslim" is a race, btw). not to mention it was probably Bill Clinton's fault.

sarcasm, i suppose

[Wordie]

92. On the contrary, I say DO point out the atrocity, just don't pretend it's

only the group you happen to hate that's doing it. It's not just the "Others," over there.

Point at everyone who engages in it until it stops, but don't be hypocritical and pretend it isn't happening in "nice" countries.

[Occulus]

45. As a gay man,

it ain't bigotry. It's just another fucking wrong-assed religion, one among many. That's neither here nor there.

And it's quite, um, interesting, isn't it, that while we're talking elsewhere about UAE policies that would make handing over the security of our ports to them a bad idea in general, you're screaming bigotry. As I said elsewhere, this isn't about them being Arabs, or about them worshipping in the Islamic faith.

It's about another nation controlling our port sexurity, period. Race and religion have nothing at all to do with the disgust you're seeing. Again, as a gay man, having been actually legislated against in my home state, THIS is not bigotry. Frankly, I don't know that you would know what bigotry was if it walked up and bit a chunk out of your ass, based on how you have responded.

I know what bigotry is, and this is NOT it.

[Name removed]

66. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mondo joe]

69. Matthew Shepard wasn't killed by government sanction,

was he?

What a fucking straw man, to compare a murder for which the killers were prosecuted and punished in the US with the state sanctioned imprisonment in the UAE of gay men for being gay.

Get real.

[Wordie]

78. Neither have any gays in the UAE been killed by gov't sanction.

You are the first person to bring up the imprisonment of those gay men in this thread (and I had not heard of it at all until you did), yet you attack me as if I had condoned it. I don't.

All I can say is that the UAE appears to be not as draconian in it's attitudes as many countries, while also acknowledging that this is probably not a satisfactory answer for you. I would add that our own country is still struggling with legal issues concerning GLBT people. We clearly are ahead of most of the rest of the world, however much we still need to change, yet it was only a few decades ago that our own legal response would have been much the same as that of the UAE. Similar laws were on our own books as late as the 60s. Stonewall happened in 1969.

There are some signs of progress in the Muslim world, however small, so take a look at this, from al Jazeera:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C12B5570-EF71-4B...

It seems to me that perhaps one of the best ways to bring more understanding to the rest of the world would be to forge bonds with other societies, and encourage greater tolerance for all people through those bonds. It seems to me that trade relationships tend to foster this. I would agree that Human Rights issues should be a concern of our country, but I'm still not certain that this deal should be scrubbed just on the basis of the UAE's laws in this area. I personally think they need to be given time to go through the process of change, as the Lebanese are apparently starting to do. This is an issue that is just too thorny to have an easy answer to.

[mondo joe]

96. Not killed, just jailed simply for being gay.

And NO ONE said you condoned it.

But your analogy was ridiculous.

[JCMach1]

108. No, for breaking a law in a very public manner

The equivalent would be you smoking a doobie and taking a stroll in your local mall.

Of course the law is dumb, but you knew about it right? Now, imagine you have enough weed on you to get a heavier sentence. You are screwed DUDE!

Homosexuality is tolerated here at least as well as in the US. You just can't practice it in public.

Hey, but you can hold hands if you like. No one will look at you twice! Most males do that here with their friends.

[mondo joe]

129. Breaking the law? Which law was that?

Please.

[leftchick]

41. THE UAE BANS Human Rights Groups!

Yeah this is a great country...

<snip>


It is difficult to identify any abolitionist groups in the UAE, as independent human rights groups are banned. Still, some Bangladeshi activists - like Professor Abdul Momen - have rescued dozens of children in Bangladesh on their way to being trafficked as camel jockey slaves. These sporadic rescues, of course, provide no long-term solution to the problem of slavery in the UAE's camel jockey industry.

[progressivebydesign]

55. Sadly, idiots in America STILL confuse capitalism with democracy. n/t

[bullwinkle428]

115. Thom Hartmann is great at illustrating this point!

[Beelzebud]

47. So, is it racist to point this out too?

I wonder how many will say it's racist to point out this shit?

[IronLionZion]

61. Yes, just like it was racist to oppose Sam Alito or Condi Rice

neocons believe in equal opportunity corruption. All ethnicities are welcome as long as they are crooks.

[mom cat]

48. I just sent this to my senators and rep: Child Slavery in the UAE

Dear Senator Kennedy,

I just read the following article about child slavery in the United Arab Emirates:

Country Report: United Arab Emirates
Enslaved because of their size, young boys are trafficked into the UAE and forced to ride camels for sport
A Victim's Story
Sheizad, a five-year-old from Bangladesh, wakes each day at 4 a.m. in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He does not remember much about his village, or how he came to the UAE. He may have been lured by recruiters, sold to a middleman by his parents, or kidnapped. Sheizad is now a slave, forced, because of his size, to race camels to benefit his master. By 5 a.m., he is on the track, practicing, training, and racing the camels. He goes to sleep 18 hours later at 11 p.m. Sheizad stays with other young racers in tiny rooms. There are races twice a week for which Sheizad's master wins large monetary prizes. Sheizad has never been paid for his work, yet if his camel races poorly, he is beaten. In a few years, when he is too big to race camels, he will be discarded by his owner. With no money and far from his family, Sheizad's enslavement will end in destitution.

Camel racing is a national pastime in the UAE. But slight young boys are needed to jockey the camels at popular race tracks. Approximately 19,000 young boys have been trafficked into the UAE as slaves, arriving from Southeast Asia when they are between two and five years old. Camel owners are abusive, regularly beating the boys, feeding them awful food, and preventing them from returning home.

Country Background
The United Arab Emirates is a Gulf Coast nation with 2.5 million inhabitants, only 20% of whom are citizens. The majority of inhabitants are from South Asia. Divided into seven emirates, the entire country is governed by Islamic law and secular laws. Officials are not elected by the public, but instead are chosen by the heads of the Emirates. There is no freedom of the press. Because the country is rich in oil, the UAE's economy thrives.

Causes of Slavery
Camel-racers have few expenses and typically enjoy high returns on their investment. Small boys are chosen as jockeys due to their size and weight - and Asian boys in particular are recruited because they tend to be the smallest children available. They weigh less and tend to scream louder and at a higher pitch than most adults, causing camels to run faster.

While not all camel jockeys are slaves, nearly all those who are slaves are from poor villages in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka. The economic deprivation experienced by some families in these villages prompts them to sell their sons to recruiters for the camel racing industry in the UAE. Families can receive from $2,000 to $3,000, the equivalent to twenty years of income in some areas.

The Process of Enslavement
There are three typical methods of enslavement: 1) kidnappers steal children away from their families; 2) families sell their sons for relatively high prices, thus attaining sufficient income for the entire family for years; or 3) recruiters lure boys away from their families, promising an education and other appealing life changes.

Once enslaved, the boys must train and ride and maintain the camels, as well as care for their living space. In each of the bi-weekly races, the boys are strapped down to the camels, causing them to scream louder - thus causing the camels to bolt towards the finish line faster. Boys often fall out of the straps and injure themselves; some even die. Violence, however, is not limited to the track. A poor performance, attempted escape, or resistance to racing can all result in additional physical abuse. These conditions lead to 60% of camel jockeys dying or becoming permanently crippled.

Camel owners are not the only guilty parties. Recruiters and middlemen in or near rural areas are used to lure, kidnap, and buy children. The UAE government - which in 1993 required that jockeys at least be 15 years old and weigh 98 pounds - has done little to stop the trafficking and enslavement of the young boys. While some boys have been rescued, few if any owners have been prosecuted. Allegations remain that the Emirate government has acknowledged that many racers are too young and weigh too little but avoid stopping the traffic of slaves because they themselves are camel and slave owners.

Due to injury or master's abuse, some slaves die before they are released from bondage. In most cases, boys older than 10 are too heavy to be effective. They are either dumped in the UAE with no money or identification, or returned home with nothing, unable to find their parents. One discarded slave was found alone in the desert, having survived for five days without water. In such this system, he was actually one of the "lucky" ones.

Response on the Ground
It is difficult to identify any abolitionist groups in the UAE, as independent human rights groups are banned. Still, some Bangladeshi activists - like Professor Abdul Momen - have rescued dozens of children in Bangladesh on their way to being trafficked as camel jockey slaves. These sporadic rescues, of course, provide no long-term solution to the problem of slavery in the UAE's camel jockey industry.

UPDATE: In late 2004/early 2005, the United Arab Emirates officially endorsed a plan to replace children used for camel jockeying with robots designed specifically for the purpose. However, some human rights groups in the region are concerned that the practice of using children as camel jockeys continues regardless.

http://www.iabolish.org/slavery_today/country_reports/a...

The crulety of this is breaking my heart. These people need to be sanctioned for their human rights abuses, not rewarded financially with control of our ports. Has the world gone mad? Does basic civility no longer matter?
Please do what you can to impose trade sanctions till this cruel and inhumane practice and any enslaved children are reuniter with their families.

Sincerely,

(Please feel free to copy/paste and send it to yours!

[AzDar]

59. Fat lot of good it will do, but I am sending this to the local media, as

well as the Arizona Repulsive.
THESE are the folks Bushie is so concerned we'll offend if we don't sell our Ports to them, eh?
Nice lot; can he pick 'em, or what? This needs to be shouted to the rooftops....

[IronLionZion]

60. girls too, It's equal opportunity enslavement

The girls aren't used for camel racing if you know what I mean.

They also enslave all ethnicities. The blond haired girls cost more than the African girls. In fact, once in a while they kidnap an American.

Equal opportunity enslavement. That's the new Democracy. (This line is sarcasm, the above are real)

[iconoclastNYC]

62. Isn't there a certain washed up pop-star staying there?

Wasn't he accused of having some sort of sick interest in young boys?

I wonder how many he's purchased for his harem, and what he does with them once they lose that boyish allure.

[LSK]

67. K & R

This is sick!!!

We deal with this country but we put bans against places like Cuba???

[pauldp]

71. a new place to look for those missing children on milk cartons.

What a sick twisted place. Yeah OK we'll get them to control shipping in and out of our country.

[Karenina]

79. AmuriKKKa is a sick, twisted place

Ru$$ia is a sick, twisted place
China is a sick, twisted place
Sudan is a sick, twisted place
Saudi Arabia is a sick, twisted place
The U.K. is a sick, twisted place
Ubekistan is a sick, twisted place
Afghanistan is a sick, twisted place
Nigeria is a sick, twisted place
Serbia is a sick, twisted place
Italy is a sick, twisted place
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a sick, twisted place

Shall I continue???

If there is a silver lining in all this "discussion" it is that Americans are learning the inner workings of corporate globalization. It's less about those "dirty Ay-rabs" upon whom the OP would like you to focus your venom and MORE about the central issue of WHY and HOW American assets are being outsourced, no matter to WHOM. Cui bono?

[pauldp]

84. Good Point. It is not a racial issue however.

We should not deal with any nation engaged in slavery. Period.
And I must say...

I take issue with your description of Italy as a sick, twisted place. Berlusconi is, but not
my beloved Italia.

[Karenina]

89. Italy is a sick, twisted place

in the MOST LOVABLE way of all!!! The paradoxes there absolutely defy description! But the FOOD... the FOOD!!!

Slavery and human trafficking is a GLOBAL ISSUE. It's EVERYWHERE, including the U.S. Ever wonder whatever happened to the children lost during Katrina?

The UAE is no better or worse than the USA, all things considered. The REAL issue is if Americans are comfortable having their ports controlled by ANY foreign government. Many have not understood that has been the case for years, so it's a good thing that the REAL issue is now center stage.

[ronnykmarshall]

82. Well to quote the bug-eyed hag Bar Bush ...

they were poor in the first place, so this is working out well for them.

If you ever wonder why W is such an asshole ... remember what spawned him.

[Politicub]

87. The UAE sounds like a Bushian paradise

No wonder he wants to sell our security to them. The UAE is the type of country where Bush would love being dictator for life.

[Der Blaue Engel]

90. The important question: is it legal or sanctioned?

Others on the thread have tried to toss out these abused babies with the bathwater of racism, and while I believe they had some valid points, I'd like to cut through the bullshit and get to the point: what makes this an issue of human rights violations specific to this country is not whether slavery happens everywhere and thus we can't "single out" a particular country, but how the governments of such places treat the slavery.

Camel owners are not the only guilty parties. Recruiters and middlemen in or near rural areas are used to lure, kidnap, and buy children. The UAE government - which in 1993 required that jockeys at least be 15 years old and weigh 98 pounds - has done little to stop the trafficking and enslavement of the young boys. While some boys have been rescued, few if any owners have been prosecuted. Allegations remain that the Emirate government has acknowledged that many racers are too young and weigh too little but avoid stopping the traffic of slaves because they themselves are camel and slave owners.

and

UPDATE: In late 2004/early 2005, the United Arab Emirates officially endorsed a plan to replace children used for camel jockeying with robots designed specifically for the purpose. However, some human rights groups in the region are concerned that the practice of using children as camel jockeys continues regardless.

Comparisons between the UAE and other countries where human trafficking exists (including the US) are only valid if you consider the official and unofficial government response. From the above, it appears the UAE government has given lip service to curtailing this practice, so it is, in fact, not legal. However, I would venture to extrapolate from these paragraphs that it is far more acceptable and prevalent even among government officials than, say, keeping Asian girls as sex slaves is in the US. I could be wrong; I haven't read that much about slave traffic in the US, but I do know that our law is firmly against it.

Draw your own conclusions.

[Wordie]

95. Read post #57.

You do raise some good points, and I hardly want to portray myself as an expert on the UAE, but it also does appear to me that they are taking serious steps against this practice.

Also keep in mind that it's frequently hard to know who to believe when dealing with issues concerning the ME. Stories are often spun to achieve political ends which can be opaque. I figure if our own State Department, which considers the problem in general serious enough to set up a special task force to deal with it, says that the UAE is making progress, and can point to specifics, that probably means something positive is happening.

I know that GWB's business interests may be cited as a reason not to believe this, but I'm not certain that State would fudge on a matter like this one, particularly because the uproar over the ports had not occured at the time the report was written. In fact, I doubt the average American had even heard of the UAE at that time, so there was little reason for State to spin anything.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

102. Here's the U.S. State Department's own report on the UAE

This is from the Country Human Rights reports delivered every year by the Secretary of State to Congress. This is the latest one from February, 2005. It appears that there's also significant trafficking of women and girls for sex.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41734.htm

"...While prostitution was widely acknowledged to exist, the Government did not address the issue publicly because of societal sensitivities. However, during the year, there was an increasing number of press reports highlighting the problems of prostitution and human trafficking. ..."

"There was an increasing number of media reports during the year of trafficking in women and girls to the country, especially to Dubai, for the purposes of sexual exploitation, although the Government pledged and took some measures to eliminate this practice. It was unknown whether these measures were effective. Often, women were brought into the country with false job offers in the hotel or medical sectors or as domestic servants, but upon arrival they were forced into prostitution. The traffickers, who almost always were citizens of the victims' home countries, reportedly seized their passports and forced them to work as prostitutes to repay their travel and living expenses, which quickly became unmanageable. However, the women received little or no payment for their work, which made it difficult or impossible to repay their debts. There were reports that traffickers commonly "sold" their victims to other traffickers, and the new traffickers held victims responsible for paying off the new, higher debt."

[JCMach1]

105. This does occasionally happen in the UAE and everywhere

in the world where there is the Sex Trade.

The police focus their efforts on people who traffic in this way.

The majority of sex workers in the UAE are freelancers... without pimp, or an organization (that's a pretty good thing)...

Abuse though continues to happen...

...Just remember the next time you pick up a hooker anywhere-- YOU ARE MORE THAN LIKELY SUPPORTING SLAVERY!

[Wordie]

110. That report is out of date: here's the more recent one:

(The report you cited was based on 2004 info, and has been replaced by this one.)

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rpt/60487.htm

U.S. Department of State

Released by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Trafficking in Persons Interim Assessment

February 1, 2006

...United Arab Emirates

The Government of the UAE has made noticeable progress in addressing trafficking in persons in recent months. In July 2005, the government enacted a law criminalizing the use of children under 18 as camel jockeys. Between June and November 2005, the UAE reportedly convicted 17 individuals for child trafficking under this new law, and an additional 31 are under investigation. However, the government has not yet taken significant steps to tackle the country's serious problem of the trafficking of foreign women for sexual exploitation. A government committee has drafted and is circulating copies of a comprehensive anti-trafficking law addressing all forms of human trafficking that it plans to submit for approval to the Federal National Council in 2006.

In addition, the UAE Government has taken measures to improve its protection of trafficking victims. The Dubai Police Criminal Investigations Department created a Human Trafficking section to coordinate with the Human Rights Care Department to identify possible victims and to investigate their traffickers. Although the government has not yet established a shelter for trafficking victims, it houses them in hotels pending their testimony in court.

Moreover, in coordination with UNICEF, the UAE has repatriated 1,004 rescued child camel jockeys to their home countries. An additional 69 children are housed in a government-run shelter until their families are identified. According to UNICEF, this shelter will remain operational until every child has been repatriated. The police proactively have investigated camel farms, and they plan to continue these visits regularly to ensure that children are not being trafficked back into the camel racing industry. (emphasis mine)

I don't think the UAE is a perfect example of human rights concerns by a longshot, but it does appear they are making serious efforts to correct their problems in this area. I also wonder to what extent their desire to do business with the US may have been an additional impetus to these positive efforts.

[JCMach1]

117. Sheikh Khalifa was genuinely shocked by the issue

he initiated the crackdown and without publicity setup trustfunds for the kids.

[Inland]

118. Or

to what extent the desire of the US to do business with the UAE may have been an impetus to clean up the report. Given the feb 1 date, the decision to do business came before the report.

[Wordie]

120. Well, I wondered about that, myself.

But since the 2005 report mentions that plans were in the works even back then for new UAE laws to be written, I don't think that's it. I would guess it was more a case of the first report having an effect. And also, it's been quite clear that nobody expected there to be an outcry about the contract, and the report's publication pre-dates the outcry.

Of course, for any country to think that they needed work on their human rights record in order to do business with the US isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?

[pinto]

121. Just a brief note about civility.

We really encourage members to take a moment when posting to remember that civility goes a long way in fostering discussion. It really helps us all. Thanks. pinto

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[YEM82]

122. Dubai/UAE

Alright,

I don't chime in often, and most of you probably have no idea who i am, given my 9 or 10 posts. Yet, I assure you all I've been an avid surfer of DU for over a couple years.

As someone who has been to Dubai several times, this whole issue has interested me. I personally feel that this issue is much ado about nothing. Of course, I completely understand the need for our country to protect its borders, and that includes seaports. But Dubai Ports, from what I understand, is not even providing the main security of these ports. Port protection will still be the responsibility of the Coast Guard and ICE. The real problem here is that we're living in a free-market economy, and DP has just purchased a British company that was previously providing our port management.

Now, two hijackers from 9/11 are from the UAE, along with evidence of millions of dollars of money being laundered through the UAE. But let's be honest here. Literally hundreds of billions of dollars go through that country in terms of banking and corporate financial services. I'd bet that millions in terrorist funds have gone through financial markets in London, Shanghai and New York as well. I think for our Democratic Senators to be playing this up is purely politics. It's an easy target! How many red-staters would be willing to support a middle eastern country handling our port management? Not too many. It makes for good politics, but rather poor sense.

Dubai Ports is a UAE government owned enterprise, and the Emirates has nothing to gain and everything to lose from a US terrorist attack that can be traced back to them. A solid portion of their economy comes from American companies setting up operations there. With that being said, I've seen the HBO Real Sports special on the child jockeys too. Its dispicable. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Our government is one to turn a blind eye to these problems. After all, we do business with China and Pakistan and countless African dictatorships.

I don't want to say that our government has probably thought of contingencies, and has checked everyhting out with Dubai Ports, because after what we've all seen in the past 5 years, diligence is hardly what we can expect from this administration. I am confident however, that this is a country that we have and should have close ties with, and one that is a major beneficiary in the region. It's truly a jewel in an area of the world which modernity has forgotten. At least that's what I think.

[JCMach1]

123. Good points, the UAE's economy has been officially diversified

...It is no longer reliant on oil.


Having said that, they have majorly extended the tourism sector. Tourism and terrorism cannot coexist!

[scab_picker]

125. Just a little pregnant?

Lets get this straight, we fought a friggin civil was over a hundred years ago over slavery. Maybe your ancestors didn't but mine did. Now we are making excuses for the UAE because they are better than the counties surrounding them. What does that mean? They are living in the 16th century instead of the 15th? Point is that we, as imperial Americans should just take the oil we want without paying for it. That is what "they" would do if they could. Hows that for cultural equity. We should treat the UAE as they would treat us if they were as strong as we are. Anybody? I can't hear you.