73 child camel jockeys to get compensation
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Interior Ministry has approved claims by 73 repatriated child camel jockeys for a compensation of $1,000 each, Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) official Nabeel Malik told Daily Times on Tuesday.
The repatriated camel jockeys are provided the compensation for rehabilitation under the Child formerly Involved in Camel Racing (CIRC), a project of the CPWB. Malik said that 79 claims were referred to the board by the CPWB, of which 73 were approved. “The CIRC board consists of Mehmood Ahmad from the UAE Interior Ministry, CPWB Chairman Faiza Asghar and Federal Investigation Agency Deputy Director Azhar Mehmood,” he said.
He said that people around the country were asked through announcements in the media to register the repatriated camel jockeys with the CPWB so that they could be compensated and their rehabilitation could be made possible. He said that in the first meeting the board passed the cases of 48 children and it was the second meeting of the board. He said that the six remaining cases were rejected on the basis of lack of documentation. “The jockeys are required to produce evidence that they had been involved in camel racing either through a passport, visa documents or ticket. But if they fail to do so, their compensation claim is not entertained,” he said.
Nabeel said that in May 2005, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UAE government had signed an agreement to help return and re-unite the underage camel racers in their home countries. “Because the majority of the camel jockeys is from the Punjab, the Pakistani government has assigned the responsibility to the CPWB to handle the issue,” he said.
He said that the board meeting, which was held on December 16, 2007, had decided to extend the programme to 2009; earlier the programme was to last till 2007. “The UAE government deposits the $1,000 rehabilitation fund in the Trust Account, in the Punjab Bank with an interest of Rs 600 a month. The money is given to the parents of the children on the condition that the children will be sent to school regularly,” he said. Source
The repatriated camel jockeys are provided the compensation for rehabilitation under the Child formerly Involved in Camel Racing (CIRC), a project of the CPWB. Malik said that 79 claims were referred to the board by the CPWB, of which 73 were approved. “The CIRC board consists of Mehmood Ahmad from the UAE Interior Ministry, CPWB Chairman Faiza Asghar and Federal Investigation Agency Deputy Director Azhar Mehmood,” he said.
He said that people around the country were asked through announcements in the media to register the repatriated camel jockeys with the CPWB so that they could be compensated and their rehabilitation could be made possible. He said that in the first meeting the board passed the cases of 48 children and it was the second meeting of the board. He said that the six remaining cases were rejected on the basis of lack of documentation. “The jockeys are required to produce evidence that they had been involved in camel racing either through a passport, visa documents or ticket. But if they fail to do so, their compensation claim is not entertained,” he said.
Nabeel said that in May 2005, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UAE government had signed an agreement to help return and re-unite the underage camel racers in their home countries. “Because the majority of the camel jockeys is from the Punjab, the Pakistani government has assigned the responsibility to the CPWB to handle the issue,” he said.
He said that the board meeting, which was held on December 16, 2007, had decided to extend the programme to 2009; earlier the programme was to last till 2007. “The UAE government deposits the $1,000 rehabilitation fund in the Trust Account, in the Punjab Bank with an interest of Rs 600 a month. The money is given to the parents of the children on the condition that the children will be sent to school regularly,” he said. Source
No comments:
Post a Comment