Robots Replace Underage Camel Jockeys

The United Arab Emirates says it will use robots as jockeys
for camel races from next season.

The move comes after widespread international criticism of the use of young children
to ride camels during the long and often hazardous races.

Officials say a prototype of the robot was successfully tested on Saturday.

Aid workers say there are up to 40,000 child jockeys working across the Gulf.
Many are said to be have been kidnapped and trafficked from South Asia.

They say several thousand boys, some as young as four, work as jockeys
– many after being abducted or sold by their families.

They say the boys are kept in terrible prison-like conditions where they are
deliberately underfed to keep them light so the camels can run faster.

from the BBC