Dubai’s Finance Minister Sheik Hamdan bin Rashin al Maktoum has been named in a lawsuit for his involvement in allegedly enslaving of thousands of boys to use as jockeys for camel races.   This new lawsuit comes less than two months after a similar suit was dismissed in Florida because of a lack of jurisdiction.  However, the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the class action suit Elizabeth Seif believes that the Sheik’s horses and stables in Kentucky will give the sheik enough substantial contact with Kentucky to give the court jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs claim that boys were apprehended from Pakistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, and other countries.  The plaintiffs claim that some of the boys were kidnapped outright, while other boys were lured to the United Arab Emirates under the false pretense that they would be educated.  Once apprehended, the boys were forced to live under inhumane living conditions.  For example, the boys are starved to lighten the weight the camels carry to enable faster times for the camels.  The boys are raised to take care of the animals and trained to ride them.

Sheik Hamdan is famous for his love for racing.  He and Dubai’s ruling family has tried to bring horse and camel racing to Dubai.  He has sponsored many large races and has created the Dubai World Cup, which has the largest purse for a horse race in the world at six million dollars.  Since the ruling family has poured so much money and interest into horse racing, winning the races has been seen as a way to win favor of the ruling family.  This desire to impress the ruling family through winning camel and horse races has created the motive to enslave young boys with the intention of training them into becoming future jockeys.

If the plaintiffs win this case it could be monumental to show that anyone, including highly connected leaders, implicated in a child enslavement case will be accountable for their actions.  However, it may be more probable that the Kentucky court will agree with the Florida court that the case would be better tried in another forum outside of the United States.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune- UAE leader sued by U.S. attorney over use of children as jockeys in camel races- 12 September 2007

Lexington Herald Leader- Camel jockey suit refiled, alleges children abused by a Maktoum- 12 September 2007

BBC News- Lawyers Refile Dubai Slavery case- 13 September 2007

Official Website of the Dubai World Cup