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[17 December 2006] - The United Arab Emirates says it will give $9m (£4.6m) to former child camel jockeys employed in the country. The UAE says the money will ensure they receive the salaries owed to them and compensation for losing their income. It will also go towards education. The move is part of a joint programme with the UN children's agency Unicef. The initiative has seen more than 1,000 former jockeys, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and Mauritania repatriated to their countries. The prime minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is among those accused, in a class action filed in the US, of trafficking and enslaving children. The suit is being brought against him, his brother Sheikh Hamdan, and 500 others by some parents and thousands of unnamed children. The allegations have been rejected by the Maktoums. They say they have banned child camel jockeys and overhauled the sport. Remote-controlled robots now sit on the backs of the camels during the long races. Although camel racing is popular in the Emirates, the Maktoums are better known internationally for their involvement in horse racing and are the owners of the successful Godolphin stables. Further information
pdf: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6187811.stm