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Suit Alleges that Boys as Young as Two Years Old Were Abducted from
Asia and Africa and Enslaved as Camel Jockeys
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - (September 13, 2006)
Motley Rice LLC, one of the largest plaintiffs' law firms in the United
States, in association with attorney John A. Thornton of Miami, today
announced that it has filed suit against several Arab Sheikhs, including
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the alleged abduction and
human trafficking of thousands of young boys from Asia and Africa. Once
abducted, the children were allegedly sold into slavery to serve as
camel jockeys for the entertainment of the Arabian elite.
According to the complaint, filed in United States District Court,
Southern District of Florida, boys as young as two years old have been
stolen from their families, trafficked across international borders, and
kept in brutal camel-racing camps throughout the United Arab Emirates,
forced to train camels and perform as jockeys. Camel racing has long
been a favored pastime of the Arab elite. Yet, despite the enactment of
legal weight and age limits, child jockeys weighing less than 20 kg (44
lbs.) have become the standard in races. Because of the extreme danger
involved in camel racing, Arab sheikhs have not used their own children
for training or riding, and instead have resorted to this alleged child
enslavement.
According to the lawsuit, this practice has resulted in a vast
conspiracy among camel owners to buy boys in the slave trade, hold them
in brutal camps, forcing them to care for and exercise the camels, and
then race against each other on "race days." Because one cannot race
without competitors, it is alleged that the use of enslaved boys by the
named defendants caused others to do the same.
According to the 2005 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons
Report, "Those who survive the harsh conditions are disposed of once
they reach their teenage years." Having been ripped from their families
at such a young age, these children are typically unable to locate their
families again or even, in most cases, speak their own language.
"It is truly shocking that such unimaginable crimes are taking place
against children in this day and age," stated attorney Ron Motley of
Motley Rice. "Two year-old boys have been stolen from their families,
shipped to foreign lands and forced to live in dangerous and oppressive
environments - robbed of their childhood and their future. By bringing
this lawsuit we hope to punish the perpetrators of these vile crimes and
compensate the victims for their pain and suffering."
The suit is brought on behalf of the boys and/or the legal guardians of
the boys who were allegedly enslaved and is brought against the
individual slave owners in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. Motley
Rice is working on the lawsuit together with co-counsel John Andres
Thornton, Esq., of Miami, Florida.
Register Your Complaint with Motley Rice
(If you or a loved one has suffered damages in this case, you may
qualify for damages or remedies that may be awarded in a possible class
action or lawsuit).
M/S. Motley Rice LLC.,
PO Box 1792
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465
http://www.motleyrice.com
Return to Main Page:
Child Slavery Lawsuit
Related
Reports:-
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'Camel Kids' The Camel Jockeys of United Arab
Emirates! |
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A Pakistani boy
who worked five years as a camel jockey,
starting at age 4, remembers the race as noisy
and dangerous, where more than 50 camels with
screaming children strapped onto their backs
would run. He personally saw about 20 children
die, and more than a dozen injured every week.
He recalls: "There was this one kid whose strap
broke at the beginning of the race. His head was
crushed between the legs of the running camel.
Once the race has started it cannot stop.. The
Camel Jockeys |
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