§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of the United Arab Emirates on trafficking in human beings. [134355]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe Government of the United Arab Emirates is taking action against trafficking. But we remain concerned about the use of young boys as camel jockeys. In July 2002 the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs announced a ban on the use of camel jockeys under the age of 15. We welcomed this announcement, but there are reports that legislation is not always enforced. Visiting UK Ministers and our embassy staff at Abu Dhabi have raised our concerns with the UAE authorities and we will continue to press the UAE authorities to implement the ban fully.