• 641 Pakistanis deported from Oman to reach Karachi on Jan 18
• Pakistanis abroad
• 530 deportees reach home from Oman
• Pakistani deportees arrive from Muscat
• 1,201 deported Pakistanis arrive
• Ansar Burney demanded release of underage children from Oman
• Dead Body of 'Child Camel Jockey' to arrive
• Two camel kids handed over to parents
• The Innocents for Sale
• Ansar Burney Trust rescues two more 'Child Camel Jockeys' in UAE

641 Pakistanis deported from Oman to reach Karachi on Jan 18
By Mazhar Tufail

ISLAMABAD: At least 641 Pakistanis who entered Oman illegally and working without permission would be deported on January 18 this year.

The deportees would arrive in Karachi by a cargo ship to set to sail from Muscat possibly today.

The illegal emigrants were put behind the bars after their arrest whose release materialized following the intervention of Ansar Burney Welfare Trust – Pakistan-based international human and civil rights organizations.

Pakistanis abroad

Another batch of 723 unfortunate Pakistanis who were jailed in Oman for having illegally entered the country have returned home through the efforts of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust. This is the biggest group of our citizens to be repatriated from abroad mainly for being without proper documents. Earlier sizeable batches had been returned to Pakistan from Sri Lanka and United States. It is quite possible that emboldened by the steps taken by Oman, US and Sri Lanka, others countries will expel Pakistanis who are jailed as usual for having illegally entered the country. Several months earlier there were pathetic reports of Pakistanis having suffered death and injury in their bid to secretly cross international borders in Europe on foot or by boats which inevitably sank half way in the sea or rivers.

With two months yet to go, 2003 will turn out to be the worst year for our intrepid citizens who had braved the rigours of travel by illegal means to reach what they saw as greener pastures in the west. Some made it, others were caught, jailed and returned, while many perished in the bid. The latest batch from Oman had pathetic tales to relate of the privation they suffered—which took the lives of many—and their languishing in jails. They also related that at least 1500 more Pakistanis are still in jails in Oman. Probably such a situation will hold true for many other countries also where Pakistanis may be in jail pending completion of their sentences.

The government is unlikely to have any figures on the number of Pakistanis in jails in foreign lands, the number dead or injured or those in transit. Nor could our embassies be overly worried about what is happening to Pakistanis in states where they are situated. It is only through the efforts of humanitarian organisations and people like the Ansar Burney Trust or the foreign press that the fate of Pakistanis on the move is known. In most times the reports are of death and injury or time in jail. This raises the likelihood of the number of Pakistanis who have been specifically jailed for illegal entry into the country being legion. A census by the government of such Pakistanis will show that their number is considerable and increasing daily.

The latest development is certain to bring out the best in our ministers and bureaucrats to reiterate for the umpteenth time that exemplary action will be taken against the criminal agents who are responsible for human smuggling. This is a kind of ritual that has to be performed after every such an embarrassment of having ship and plane loads of Pakistanis being sent back. Yet, within a few months another incident will occur of unlucky Pakistanis being caught or getting killed in their bid to go west.The problem obviously is that the official machinery responsible for preventing illegal travel abroad is well greased by the smugglers to keep the racket a flourishing industry. The government is well aware of this. The other problem is that worsening economic situation at home and lack of employment will always force people to risk their lives to earn money through other means. This is something that does not interest the government.

530 deportees reach home from Oman

KARACHI: 530 Pakistanis arrested in Oman due to illegal entry were arrived in Karachi after deportation from Muscat.

They belonged to various parts of the country and were arrested during last two weeks while trying to enter illegally via sea route in the Gulf state to seek lucrative jobs.

People involved in the human trafficking racket fetched thousands of rupees from these poor people and later disappeared leaving them in quandary. Some of them were caught while on their way because of strict security whereas majority were arrested after illegal entry.

These Pakistani nationals were sent back through Al Fajr-II boat. Ansar Burney welfare trust arranged food, clothing and shoes for them at Ghas Bandar port. They will be allowed to leave for home after Immigration clearance.

Some of the deportees told that Mand area of Balochistan became the international market of human trafficking where different rates have been fixed for Muscat, Dubai, Turkey, London and other countries. They were also complained about inhuman treatment and torture in jails.

Pakistani deportees arrive from Muscat

KARACHI: Another batch of 1,383 Pakistanis, held in Muscat jails for illegally entering Oman in search of jobs, returned home on Tuesday morning.

The vessel, Al-Mohammadi-II, brought 700 Pakistanis, while 683 came by Al-Fajar and were received by Syed Fahad Burney, Vice-chairman of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International (ABWTI).

According to Mr Burney, these Pakistanis belong to various parts of the country and were arrested some time back while trying to enter Oman illegally via sea route in search of lucrative jobs. These innocent Pakistanis were smuggled into Middle Eastern countries by influential Pakistani human smugglers, he said. These deportees were smuggled to the Gulf state through Iran after paying huge sums of money to agents.

On arrival from Muscat, these deportees were provided money and food by the ABWTI to go to their homes. Describing their condition, Burney said that they had been in jails for different periods of times - from days to years — where their condition had deteriorated due to malnutrition and lack of basic facilities.

It may be mentioned here that during the last 24 years the ABWTI has so far been able to get released more than 650,000 innocent prisoners who were illegally imprisoned in Pakistan as well as in other countries.

The relatives of other prisoners in foreign jails can also contact the ABWTI at 6 Hassan Manzil, Arambagh Road, Karachi or on phone numbers (021) 2626274, 2628719, 2623382 and 2623383.

1,201 deported Pakistanis arrive
By our correspondent

KARACHI: As many as 1,201 Pakistani prisoners deported from Oman returned home on Saturday.

These Pakistani prisoners were arrested in Oman a few months ago for illegal entry and employment. They were released because of the fruitful efforts of a organisation of human rights, namely Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International. Earlier, the organisation contacted the Pakistani Embassy in Muscat and fulfilled other legal requirements on behalf of deported Pakistanis and got them released.

The 1,201 men arrived in two different Boats - Al-Mohammadi 2 and Al-Fajar, at Keemari on Saturday.

The vice-chairman of the Trust, Syed Fahad Burney thanked and appreciated the kind cooperation of the Government of Oman for the release of Pakistani prisoners. He also appreciated the efforts of the Pakistan Embassy in Muscat and its community welfare attachÈ, Sohail Siddiqi in this regard.

These Pakistanis, who went illegally to Oman, were recently arrested by the Oman Boarder Security Forces.

On their arrival, the Trust also gave them cash money so that they could be able to go their homes in far-flung areas.

Ansar Burney demanded release of underage children from Oman

The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International has demanded for the early release of all such children living in private jails and working on slave labour as ‘Child Camel Jockeys’ in Oman.

The member of the International Bar Association (UK), American Bar Association (USA) and Karachi Bar Association (Pakistan) Mr Ansar Burney, Advocate, urged upon the Oman government to banned use of underage children as child camel jockeys and release all such children from the Private Jails where they are on slave labour.

Dead Body of 'Child Camel Jockey' to arrive
Thursday October 07, 2004

DUBAI, October 08 (Online): The dead body of a five year old Pakistani boy working on slave labour as 'Child Camel Jockey' who fell off a camel during a race on 15th of September and died later in Al-Ain hospital UAE on Tuesday evening (28th September, 04), will be sent to Pakistan on Friday night.

This was announced by the human rights organisation Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International.
Chairman of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International, Prisoners Aid Society and Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Children/Persons, Ansar Burney, Advocate said that Mohammad Kaleem (5) son of Mohammad Hussain, fell off the camel during camel race training in Al Ain, UAE on Wednesday morning (15th September 2004), and camel ran him over leaving serious head injuries, later he died in Al-Ain hospital on 28th September. Kaleem suffered serious head and body injuries, when he fell off the camel during race.

Renowned human and civil rights activist Ansar Burney, Advocate has said on Thursday that all the arrangements have finalised to send the body of the innocent boy back to Multan, Pakistan on Friday night for burial.

Two camel kids handed over to parents

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust handed over two children made camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates to their parents in the suburbs of Dera Ghazi Khan on Wednesday. Ansar Burney rescued the two children last year with the cooperation of the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Khalid, 6, and Faiz, 7, were kidnapped from Pakistan and smuggled to the UAE for use as ‘child camel jockeys’ with fake parents and documents. They participated in camel race.

The Innocents for Sale
By Natasha Bita

Every year, a million children are sold or kidnapped and taken to a life of slavery and misery, writes Natasha Bita

MUSTAFA and Shabir, aged six and seven, are known as camel kids to the Arab oil sheikhs who patronise the raucous desert camel races. The little boys were taken from their families in Pakistan, smuggled into the United Arab Emirates and forced to work for years as lightweight jockeys.

"Children are used as jockeys because they're light, they're controllable, and they shriek to speed up the camels," explains Anti-Slavery International spokeswoman Beth Herzfeld. "They have to be tied on, otherwise they fall off. They're kept in brutal conditions, and they're terrified." Mustafa and Shabir told their rescuers how they lived in an iron lean-to, ate one meal a day, were beaten and forced to train twice daily in the searing desert heat. During one training session, another tiny boy fell from his camel and was trampled to death.

A Pakistani charity, the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International, is still searching for the boys' families. Mustafa and Shabir have long forgotten who their parents are.

"They are slaves," despairs Ansar Burney, the charity's founder who brought the boys back to Pakistan last month. "Some of the jockeys are three years old. They are treated worse than animals. They are treated very badly because if they are treated well they gain weight [trainers prefer jockeys weighing 20kg]."

Burney's organisation has freed 2000 children from jockey-smuggling rackets in the past four years, yet not all the children make it back alive. Last month, he recovered the battered bodies of two boys killed when they fell off their camels.

The charity estimates another 2000 boys remain in jockey camps in the UAE. Some camps contain hundreds of children aged three to 14, kidnapped or bought from impoverished families in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The Centre for Women's and Children's Studies in Dhaka estimates 1683 Bangladeshi boys under 10 were trafficked to the Gulf countries in the 1990s. Smugglers may pay parents as little as $200 for their sons, then sell them to Arabian camel trainers for $10,000 to $40,000.

"Some parents are selling their children because they are hungry," Burney tells The Australian. "But sometimes gangsters abduct the children and take them out of the country with fake parents, using fake passports and birth certificates."

Prospects for the camel kids brightened this week when the UAE brought in a law to ban the use of jockeys younger than 15 or lighter than 45kg.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahyan -- who happens to be chairman of the Emirates Camel Racing Federation -- has decreed that camel trainers who use younger jockeys risk $10,000 fines and racing bans. There are jail terms for repeat offenders.

But Anti-Slavery International has heard it all before, noting that the racing federation technically banned child jockeys 20 years ago.

"There has to be close scrutiny that they enforce the law," Herzfeld says. "There should be unannounced inspections to ensure children aren't used in this way."

The image of skinny little boys clinging precariously to their camels is one that tugs the heart strings, but it is a mere drop in the ocean of child slavery. The International Labor Organisation estimates that 8.4 million children work as slave labourers, prostitutes or soldiers worldwide. Of these, 1.2 million children are kidnapped, sold or smuggled each year.

These child slaves may end up on the other side of the world, working in sweatshops to make cheap clothing, in underground mines to salvage precious stones for jewellery, prostituting themselves to tourists at tropical resorts, picking the cocoa and coffee beans to feed Western cravings, or scrubbing floors as housemaids.

The UN children's charity, UNICEF, cites unconfirmed reports that children have been sold for their organs -- a human spare parts business for rich patients desperate for donor kidneys.

UNICEF describes people-smuggling as the world's third-largest criminal industry, after drug-trafficking and weapons-smuggling.

The ILO estimates that of the 5.7 million children in forced or bonded labour working in factories, farms and houses, 5.5 million are on Australia's doorstep, in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the 1.8 million children entrapped into prostitution and pornography, a quarter live in rich countries. Nearly half the children caught up in smuggling rings originate from Latin America and the Caribbean. The rest are split fairly evenly between the Asia-Pacific, Africa and developing countries in eastern Europe.

"There are children who are trafficked from Bangladesh to India to make bangles and beads, and children used in South Asia to make carpets as slaves," says Herzfeld.

"Trafficking usually takes place in areas where the economy is very, very poor. A typical method is someone offering a better situation for the children -- an education, or good work. This is deception. The children see no opportunity at home, so they go. But in many cases it's abduction. We know of cases where a child was playing in his neighbourhood and just taken up and trafficked."

A preliminary ILO report on child trafficking says children become victims by "force, persuasion, coercion, trickery, the administration of drugs, family and other complicity, or through their own initiative and ignorance about what really awaits them at their destination".

UNICEF says parents in Asian countries including India, Pakistan and Thailand sell their daughters into debt bondage as prostitutes, in deals that may be thinly disguised as dowry payments for sham marriages. The girls have to work to pay back the smugglers for the money given to their parents.

In Lithuania, according to the UNICEF report Profiting from Abuse, up to half the prostitutes are under-aged and children as young as 11 have been discovered in brothels. Thousands of Nigerian teenagers are smuggled to work as prostitutes in Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands each year. In Africa, armies often recruit boys not only to fight wars, but to sexually service the soldiers.

A quarter of Indonesia's 1.3 million domestic workers are aged 10 to 18. In West Africa, children are trafficked to work in mines and on plantations. An investigation by Anti-Slavery International concluded that 2500 children working in West Africa's cocoa industry, which supplies 70 per cent of the world's crop, probably had been trafficked from other parts of Africa.

Even children begging, or hawking souvenirs on the streets of Athens or Rome may be the slaves of child-smugglers and their Mafia bosses. Aid workers estimate 2000 Albanian children -- many from the ethnic minority of Roma, or gypsies -- have been trafficked from Albania to Greece.

Burney has higher aspirations for his rescued camel kids. "If they are homeless then we will arrange rehabilitation through our trust, and give them food and education," he says. "These are children who we would like to see become educated people, like engineers or doctors. They are so happy when they are rescued. They act like we are their father or mother."

Reportedly, the Chairman of the Trust Ansar Burney with the co-operation of the Trust volunteers in UAE rescued these two more innocent children from the Camel Race camps in Al-Ain (UAE).

Rescued Children namely Abdul Qayyum (3) and Mumtaz (5) were rescued by the volunteers of the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International, after having several difficulties were working on slave labour as child camel jockeys in UAE since last two to three years.

Abdul Qayyum was working on slave labour as 'child camel jockey' since last two years, he was sitting on Camel and started working as 'child camel jockey' when he was only one and a half years old. Mumtaz was on slave labour when he was only 2.

The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International is the only human rights organisation working since last several years practically against slave labour in Middle East and Arab Countries to rescue the innocent children working as child camel jockeys in very worst circumstances.

It has rescued total 318 children in this current year, 147 children on slave in UAE and 171 children from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Muscat, Kuwait and other parts of the Arab and Middle East countries and sent them back to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka and other respective countries for their rehabilitation.

These children were trafficked from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and several countries in Africa and brought to the Middle Eastern and Arab countries for several reasons including for sex and slave labour. The Ansar Burney Welfare Trust International (ABWTI) has successfully traced out more than hundred thousand (100,000) children from the world over specially from Pakistan, through its Bureau of Missing and Kidnapped Children/Persons and has delivered them safely to their families.