Governor of Dubai Hit with Child Slavery Lawsuit

The enslavement of young boys from around the world - Mauritania, Bangladesh, Sudan, etc. - as camel jockeys has long been the shame of the UAE sporting scene. Camel racing is a national pasttime in the Gulf state, sort of like Monday Night Football. And like football, the sport can be quite violent, with young jockeys thrown from camel saddles at high speeds - causing major injuries and even death.

Rather than sacrifice their own offspring for this entertainment, the Dubai sheikhs for years purchased slave boys to do the dirty work. Boys as young as four would be tied down into the saddle and forced to ride the camels for the harrowing high-speed race. The boys were not paid, and lived in terrible conditions near the racetracks.

This human rights outrage existed for decades in plain view. Britain's Prince Charles would often join his Dubai royalty pals to take in the jolly old spectacle. But in the past few years, international media attention became too much for the Dubai dignitaries to ignore. So they announced new Swiss-built robo-jockeys would take over - although reports of on-going slave trade in young boys from Africa and South Asia persisted.

But now the Vice-President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (personal website here), and his brother Hamdan may at last have to face some legal consequences. The South Carolina lawfirm of Motley Rice has filed a class-action lawsuit in Florida court against the potentates:

Filed this week in Florida, the class action lawsuit targets several Arab sheikhs, including the prime minster of United Arab Emirates. The complaint alleges that boys as young as 2 years old have been stolen from their families and kept in brutal camel-racing camps...

A report last year by the State Department documented how young boys from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan are kidnapped or sold into bondage and then placed in camps near camel race tracks. The report said children are deliberately starved to prevent weight gain. Many are injured or killed in camel stampedes. "Those who survive the harsh conditions are disposed of once they reach their teenage years," the report said.

The lawsuit targets two high-flying United Arab Emirate brothers: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the country's prime minister, and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, minister of finance and industry.

The lawsuit alleges that Sheikh Mohammed travels the world in his personal 747 and that both brothers own billions of dollars in assets in the United States. Both also are well-known in international horse- and camel-racing circles.

More info here:

A legal case has been filed in a US district court alleging that the governor of Dubai and his brother enslaved about 30,000 children over the past 30 years for use as camel jockeys... The case has been filed in Florida, where the defendants have property, on behalf of six parents. Lawyers are seeking class-action status on behalf of about 30,000 children.

In Dubai, of course, no one would even dare trying to hold the Brothers Maktoum accountable. What lawfirm would take up this case? What human rights group would - oh, wait, independent human rights groups are outright banned in the UAE.

The real shame is that the only way these dictators can be held accountable - and only in theory - is in a US court of law, via the arcane Alien Tort Claim Act (originally developed during the 18th Century to hold sea pirates accountable). The brothers are so wealthy that even if they cannot get diplomatic immunity, they can easily afford to settle without feeling any pinch. Real victory will be the day when a lawyer dares to sue them in Dubai.

Comments

[Ma'awia El Nayal]

It is sad to note that the legal process is badly abused by some pressure groups for the promotion of the unjustified campaign against the Arab and Islamic culture.I hope that the un named plaintiffs may reconsider their positions if the preservation of the World Peace is the ultimate goal of all sober persons in this globe we share.
Ma'awia El Nayal.
Kingdom of Bahrain

Disregard this last comment, if you visit the Emirates, slavery of various types, enforced prostitution and money laundering are all common practices. How do I know this? Because I live here, see it and deal with these issues every day.

Media is heavily censored here and it is virtually impossible to criticise locals without some form of reprimand. Most don't even know that that they are being manipulated by their own leaders. It's sad and laughable: See if you can find me an article relating to the child jockey class action in either the tabloid www.7days.ae or www.gulfnews.com

So please excuse our well meaning friend above for thinking it is some sort of conspiracy.

[Carmel]

Ma'awia El Nayal, have you lost your mind? These men STOLE and ABUSED thousands of children. This is not a campaign against Arab culture. It is a campaign to stop kidnapping, abuse, and murder. And it's plenty justified.

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