violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

6such attempts are few and far between. 136 Casesof sexual abuse against working children are alsorarely prosecuted. 137 Moreover, those who championrescued child workers in the courts oftenput themselves at risk from retaliation by vestedinterests.There are specific situations where enforcementhas been effective, with the necessary programmaticand back-up interventions in place, butthese are rare. It can be done, however, in circumstanceswhere the work is exclusive to childrenon the pretext of their small size, manualdexterity or need to learn a skill at a very youngage (as in carpet-weaving or decorative craft).In a closed workplace or occupation, removal ofthe entire child workforce may be practicable.One example is the agreement made with theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE) in May 2005concerning the release and repatriation totheir countries of origin of 3,000 young boysemployed as camel jockeys and stable boys (seebox). This initiative illustrates the complementaryroles that can be played by campaigningand international organisations in bringing anend to the trafficking and employment of childrenin an exploitative occupation.Backing for law enforcement withincivil societyAs noted throughout the Study, law enforcementis problematic in environments whereformal legal, administrative and judicial systemshave little influence over most people’slives. This is the case in areas where childwork is common. Application of the lawrequires popular acceptance and the cooperationof civil society in applying it. Violenceis particularly difficult to outlaw; there is noguarantee in societies where interpersonal violenceis commonly used in dispute resolutionthat a legal prohibition on a practice will betreated with respect, even by those expected toenforce it. Until social attitudes condemn violenceagainst children absolutely and in everycircumstance, the enforcement of laws againstchild labour may inadvertently lead to furtherdiscrimination against working children, forThe long struggle to end the use of boys as camel jockeysThe trafficking of small boys from certain countries in South Asia (Bangladesh andPakistan), and Africa (Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan), for use as jockeys in camelraces in the UAE and other Gulf States (Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) came underprotest for many years by Anti-Slavery International (ASI). A Bangladeshi NGO calculatedthat nearly 1,700 boys had been trafficked to the Middle East during the 1990sfor this purpose, the vast majority under the age of 10. The boys were tied onto thecamel’s saddles during the races, and often sustained injuries and falls. They were alsofrequently starved before races to reduce their weight, and suffered other forms ofphysical and psychological violence, including occasional sexual abuse.>>>257Violence against children in places of work