Camel Jockeys-i, The Hindu Businessline

The Hindu Businessline Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, April 10, 2000 At the finish line Vani Saraswathi They say it is in the tradition of Arabia. They are only teaching the children the ways of the desert. Feeding a child one measly sandwich and a can of cola, to ensure that his weight does not cross 5-6 kg, seems a rather cruel tradition. Especia lly when that `tradition' is imposed only upon poor children from countries such as Bangladesh and Sudan. Children who are barely over two years of age are made to mount camels; the lighter they are, the better the chances. Camel-racing is the most popular sport in this region, even ahead of football. Waifs who were chasing each other in play only minutes ago are given a riding crop and a walkie-talkie each, and placed on camels. Soon they are at the starting line, together with their trainers who are on bigger camels. On an adjacent track, `sport-lovers' sit in air-conditioned, magnificent four-wheel drives, walkie-talkie in hand. As the flag is lifted electronically, the camels are pushed ahead. The trainers turn back after a while after ensuring that the camel and the young jockey are stable. For the remaining 8-10 km, the tiny tots are left to themselves -- perched precariously on their camels -- while the men (mostly camel owners) drive along in their motor vehicles and scream instructions through walkietalkies. The child responds with the metal-tipped crop, nudging the animal forward. No amount of hearsay or reading about the race prepares one for the actual event. Even as you drink in the numb looks of the boys on the camels, the frenzy of those in the cars hits you hard. Most of the jockeys are between two and six years of age. When they are no longer fit to be jockeys, they become trainers. The victim then becomes the perpetrator of the evil. Each team, comprising the jockey and trainer, gets $2.5 per camel during training and $12.5 on race days. If the jockey wins, then the team gets 10 per cent of the prize money. Between the camel and the jockey, guess who is more valuable? Each of these race camels is valued at approximately $200,000. The toddlers, on the other hand, are given away for almost next to nothing -- $250-300 each. Most of these children are from Suda n and some from Bangladesh. The parents normally sell one child to sustain the rest of the family. There are also instances of young boys being kidnapped from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Last year, a seven-year-old Bangladeshi boy was rescued from the racing circuit. His family had been lured to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with promises of employment for his father. The boy had been abducted soon after. However, with more parents from Sudan willing to give away their little ones, kidnapping is becoming less of an issue.

Although camel racing figures as an attraction in the tourist guides of all Arab countries, it is a small consolation, at least in Qatar, that not many tourists patronise the event. It is not a spectator sport, as only the first and last 100 metres can b e viewed from the gallery. It is a sport in which one participates to enjoy, without exertion. Some 35 km from the capital Doha, the Al Shahaniya race course attracts hordes of locals. It is from them that the money comes and to them it reverts. It is for their sporting pleasures that thousands of childhoods are sacrificed. Even the local radio and TV stations are full of these races which are held 3-4 days at a stretch, once a month. The most recent one was the Middle East Cup. With barely a handful of tourists around, and being the only woman in the vicinity, it was not so difficult for me to attract the children. As our vehicle pulled into the parking lot, a smile was enough to get an audience. They looked at the camera curio usly and were surprised at receiving more attention than the camels. They were mere shadows of children and a larger-than-life reminder of a great wrong being committed every day, year after year. As one enters the main racing area, to the left are camels being groomed after the completion of a race; to the right are the cruelly undernourished, badly-clothed jockeys. At a distance are the worn-out tents where the boys and their trainers live. As i f to put the inequalities in perspective, off-road vehicles cruise by to take positions next to the track. The office assistant-cum-videographer of the race course says in hushed tones that the boys are having a better time than their predecessors. ``They were given no food earlier. At least now they get a snack.'' Fatalities and injuries are not rare either. Probe into why some of the camels are gagged and there is more depressing news -- irk the camel and it will turn around and sink its teeth into the jockey. The jockeys' lives are of no value. For every life that is prematurely terminated, there are hundreds waiting to step in. Broken bones are of no concern to anyone but the young sufferer. They have stepped out of their homelands, entered a foreign land. T here is no looking back. Ever. Small mercy? The Qatar Camel Race Committee co-ordinator, Saqr bin Fahd Al Merekhi, unabashedly defends camel racing. In a recent interview, he refuted allegations that this was against humanity. ``We are giving them a chance to ride. It is not a job or the issue of working. The children are practising a hobby and gaining profit.'' Many of the race enthusiasts proudly state that they were initiated into racing traditions by their fathers when they were as young as the jockeys themselves. However, their initiation did not require mounting a camel, suffering eternal sore thighs and f requent injuries. Camels enter professional racing circuits with the loss of their first teeth, the Khajja, usually at the age of three. When they lose their suckling teeth, the Thaniya, at five years, the camels are allowed to enter competitions longer than 6 km. With th e loss of another four teeth, they can run the 8-10 km course. As for the jockeys, the Qatar authorities have stipulated an eight-month training period before they are allowed to compete.

In 1993, UAE had banned the use of small boys in the races and specified that the jockeys should not weigh less than 45 kg. But the ban has made little difference. Initially the jockeys get obedient camels. Once they get used to riding, they are given tougher camels. They are taught to take the reins in the left hand and the crop in the right. They are taught to grab the reins, loosen it, twirl the crop by the came l's ear and to push. They are also taught not to be children. http://www.blonnet.com/businessline/2000/04/10/stories/101044m3.htm