Robots replace children as camel jockeys in UAE

Until 2005, hundreds of children were recruited into the centuries-old Arab sport of camel racing because of their low weight and height, which meant the camels could run faster. Many children suffered injuries such as broken legs and hands from falling off camels, which can run at up to 30km per hour. Now, instead of a child, camels in the UAE are ridden by small robots which are tied onto camels by hand.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: January 4, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Author: IRINFILMS

Length: 04:22
Rating: 4.58
Views: 44295

Tags: abudhabi camel racing robots

Video Comments

iFlag12 (August 19, 2008 at 11:11 am)

The Kids are sold by their parents, and by the help of UNICEF the children were taken back to their homes and making sure they get Education, medicine facilities and food. Either by finding there real parents or placing them in shelters.UAE have put penalties for those who are practicing this kind of camel jockeys, first payment 20,000 AED second time, banned from camel races for 1 year, 3rd time going to jail.UAE banned this kind of practice in 2002.

imvoiceless (July 3, 2008 at 5:24 pm)

biggest lie, the kids were stolen from the streets, they are not sent back to homes, they are sold back to people in pakistan or other countries where they are now being used for begging on the streets by an organised gang, that is associated with Govnements as they give a heafty amount to Govenment.

vuvumia (June 3, 2008 at 2:30 pm)

why didn't the arabs use their own children instead of getting from the poor countries and killing them.

laconic84 (May 8, 2008 at 11:41 pm)

why didnt you sit your own arab kids on the camels if it was so safe 7a7ass?

cheegum (April 5, 2008 at 9:10 pm)

atleast they will stay alive and not die of starvation and falling off camels

haliburton (February 14, 2008 at 8:18 pm)

UNICEF is run by the United Nations. The robotic jockeys were invented by a swiss robotics company.

faisalhalim (January 15, 2008 at 3:02 am)

This is great! Having lived in Abu Dhabi, UAE, I have met many who have tried to help the poor kids. Newspapers used to report of young boys of foreign maids being stolen for camel jokeying. Also, it was known that many boys were bought from their parents in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Many others used to send money to their parents. The sad thing about the boys was that once they grew older, all they could do was tend camels, as they were given no other training.

secretorganisation (November 6, 2007 at 8:28 pm)

first thing unicef should do is to feed all poor children in this world

7a7ass (October 8, 2007 at 4:12 pm)

LOL...where was the US decades ago when jockeys were used bak then, why didnt they complain of child abuse...the kids were not abused nor tortured, it was fabricated by the US government, they paid people to come up with lies about torturing the kids...in order to replace the kids with American made robots, so that the UAE GOV is forced to pay the US otherwise...BYE BYE camel races

Naff21 (September 9, 2007 at 7:18 pm)

"It helped more than a 1000 children return to there families"??!!,,, that's too bad coz these children used to work for there families living,, Now UNICEF have to find a jobs for these poor ppl..