Documentary backdrop image for Desert Riders (2012)

Documentary backdrop image for Desert Riders (2012)

201278 minPGdocumentary

Desert Riders

201278 minPGdocumentary

Thousands of young boys have been trafficked to the UAE to work as jockeys in camel racing, often facing severe exploitation and harsh conditions.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

Thousands of young boys have been trafficked to the UAE to work as jockeys in camel racing, often facing severe exploitation and harsh conditions.

People

Vic Sarin

Vic Sarindirector

Noemi Weiswriter

Synopsis

In the United Arab Emirates, camel racing thrives as a popular sport. For years, thousands of boys from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Mauritania were trafficked to serve as jockeys under severe conditions. Over the past decade, various governments have implemented policies to end the use of child jockeys. Desert Riders details the situation before and after these policies, focusing on the challenges of rescuing and rehabilitating the affected children. The film runs for 78 minutes and was released in 2012.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan (2010)

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

2010•52m•★5.4TMDB

Bacha bazi, a practice involving the sexual exploitation of boys as young as ten, thrives in Afghanistan despite being illegal under Afghan law.

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

Child Trafficking to Support UAE's Camel Racing Pastime (2019)

Child Trafficking to Support UAE's Camel Racing Pastime

Children are trafficked to the Arab Emirates for camel racing, living in bondage as jockeys.

Child Trafficking to Support UAE's Camel Racing Pastime

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient? (2025)

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient?

Dubai showcases a blend of modernity and tradition, featuring migrant workers, innovative fishing practices, and high-tech camel racing in its vibrant landscape.

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient?

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators (2017)

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators

Over 4 million children in Pakistan are forced to work from an early age due to poverty, with up to 1.5 million living on the streets.

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators

Dubai: The City Built By Cowboys (2016)

Dubai: The City Built By Cowboys

Dubai's rapid development, fueled by economic speculation, has led to a corrupt legal system that exploits both foreign investors and vulnerable construction workers.

Dubai: The City Built By Cowboys

Slaves all over the world (2024)

Slaves all over the world

Children in Pakistan, Uganda, and Sierra Leone face dangerous working conditions worldwide.

Slaves all over the world

Brides and Brothels: The Trade Of Rohingya Girls (2018)

Brides and Brothels: The Trade Of Rohingya Girls

Rohingya girls in Bangladeshi refugee camps face exploitation by traffickers and forced marriages as families seek desperate measures for their safety.

Brides and Brothels: The Trade Of Rohingya Girls

Human traffickers conducting a lucrative business in Mauritania (2023)

Human traffickers conducting a lucrative business in Mauritania

Over 12 million Africans were sold into slavery during the Transatlantic slave trade, a legacy that continues as traffickers exploit young migrants today.

Human traffickers conducting a lucrative business in Mauritania

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea (2017)

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea

Mubashir Malik, a water taxi driver from Pakistan, and fishermen Arif and Faisal Matraushi illustrate the diverse livelihoods in Dubai's vibrant economy.

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea

Explore Desert Riders

Browse more like this

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient? (2025)

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient?

Dubai showcases a blend of modernity and tradition, featuring migrant workers, innovative fishing practices, and high-tech camel racing in its vibrant landscape.

Megacity Dubai: The Las Vegas of the Orient?

No digital watch option in your country

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators (2017)

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators

Over 4 million children in Pakistan are forced to work from an early age due to poverty, with up to 1.5 million living on the streets.

Preying On Young Boys: Pakistan's Hidden Predators

No digital watch option in your country

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea (2017)

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea

Mubashir Malik, a water taxi driver from Pakistan, and fishermen Arif and Faisal Matraushi illustrate the diverse livelihoods in Dubai's vibrant economy.

Dubai - Modern-day Orient by the sea

No digital watch option in your country

Tuk-Tuk (2015)

Tuk-Tuk

2015•1h15m•★10.0TMDB

Thousands of tuk-tuks weave through Cairo's chaotic streets, driven by young boys like Abdallah, Sharon, and Bika, who work to support their families.

The Arctic Camels (2019)

The Arctic Camels

2019•1h15m•★7.3TMDB

Two children, Torarin and Svalin, find riding camels more challenging than expected and travel to Mongolia for expert advice.

The Arctic Camels

A Racetrack Somewhere (2016)

A Racetrack Somewhere

2016•49m•★6.0TMDB

Set in the Australian outback, 49 minutes of Thoroughbred racing events reveal the lives of trainers, jockeys, and strappers at remote racetracks.

A Racetrack Somewhere

The Workers Cup (2017)

The Workers Cup

2017•1h29m•★4.3TMDB

A football tournament organized by migrant workers in Qatar provides a rare moment of camaraderie amid the harsh conditions of labor camps.

The Workers Cup

All the Wild Horses (2017)

All the Wild Horses

2017•1h30m•★6.0TMDB

1,000 km of rugged terrain challenge five international riders as they compete in the Mongol Derby, the longest endurance horse race in the world.

All the Wild Horses

Dakar: Race Against the Desert (2025)

Dakar: Race Against the Desert

2025•1h26m•★6.2TMDB

Drivers from around the world prepare for one of the toughest motorsport events, the Dakar endurance rally, known for its challenging off-road conditions.

Dakar: Race Against the Desert

Lads & Jockeys (2011)

Lads & Jockeys

Fourteen-year-old boys and girls enter a training center near Paris, facing a harsh transition from family life to the demanding world of horse racing.

Vai Cavalo (2023)

Vai Cavalo

2023•1h14m•★8.2TMDB

Two young jockeys risk their lives on the racetrack, riding doped horses in a desperate bid to escape their harsh childhood in Brazil's northeast.

The Riyalists (2021)

The Riyalists

Up to 3 million Nepali workers have migrated to the Gulf States over the last few decades, driven by the demand for cheap labor in the region.

Browse more by Vic Sarin

View all films →

Hue: A Matter of Colour (2013)

Hue: A Matter of Colour

2013

Keepers of the Magic (2016)

Keepers of the Magic

2016

The Boy from Geita (2015)

The Boy from Geita

2015

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →