The meetings held at Emirates Towers late last month were an extension of the agreement reached earlier this year between the UAE government and the countries concerned.
The meeting decided to establish a special committee to ensure that the Independent Claims Facility is put in place to supervise compensation to former camel jockeys children from Sudan, Mauritania, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Colonel Nasser Al Menhali, the chairman of the special committee, said: “The agreements reflect the UAE government’s commitment to resolve the camel jockey issue and restore the rights of children. This is an important matter in which we, in association with other countries, are investing significant resources to provide a mechanism to ensure a just and fair solution to victims of this practice.”
Some of the suggestions included a compensation system that would guarantee a savings account of the child jockey’s earnings, which would be transferred at the age of 18.
Another recommendation was collaboration with media and police in rural areas to inform the public of the compensation programme to encourage people to come forward and claim their rights.
The claims facility will make every effort to locate, give notice to, and assist nationals of the four countries who were engaged in camel racing in the UAE.
The agreement also provides compensation for any and all anguish, pain, emotional distress or physical injuries the child jockeys may have suffered.
Each of the countries will establish an Independent Claims Facility governed by an administrative board, with one member for each board appointed by the UAE Ministry of Interior, and two members for each board appointed respectively by the governments of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan and Mauritania.
