UAE crackdown on child jockeys

The United Arab Emirates is to tighten up laws on the use of child jockeys in camel races.

The Foreign Ministry says existing laws imposed nine years ago are being flouted, with persistent reports that young children have been abducted in South Asia to be trained as camel jockeys.

Pakistani police said earlier this month that they had rescued a number of boys, some as young as three, who were allegedly being taken to Dubai to work as jockeys.

Under the new laws, penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment will be imposed on anyone employing children aged less than 15, or weighing less than 45 kilograms.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service