Editing Camel racing (section)

==Child jockeys==
Children are often favored as jockeys because of their light weight, and in order to maximize the camels' speed they often will fast for days at a time prior to each race.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bener |first1=Abdulbari |last2=Al-Mulla |first2=Fatima H. |last3=Al-Humoud |first3=Suhail M. Q. |last4=Azhar |first4=Abdulaziz |date=September 2005 |title=Camel Racing Injuries Among Children |url=https://go.exlibris.link/VB9R9JRX |journal=Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine |volume=15 |issue=5 |pages=1 |via=Ovid}}</ref> It has been reported that thousands of children (some reported as young as 2 years old) are [[human trafficking|trafficked]] usually from countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, and Sudan for use as jockeys in [[Arab States of the Persian Gulf]].<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2005/46606.htm 2005 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report]. State.gov. Retrieved 2011-10-25.</ref> In 2005, aid workers estimated a range of 5,000 – 40,000 child camel jockeys in the Persian Gulf region.<ref name="autogenerated1">Williamson, Lucy. (4 February 2005) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4236123.stm South Asia | Child camel jockeys find hope]. BBC News. Retrieved 2011-10-25.</ref><ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article438324.ece The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. Timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-25.</ref>

Many child camel jockeys are seriously injured by falling off the camels.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4063391.stm "Help for Gulf child camel jockeys."] ''BBC News'' 2 December 2004. Retrieved 2011-10-25.</ref> The child jockeys live in camps (called "ousbah") near the racetracks and many are victims of abuse.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Hundreds of children have been rescued from camel farms in Oman, Qatar, and [[UAE]] and taken back to their original homes or kept in shelter homes.<ref>[http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/under-age-camel-jockeys-get-caring-hand-1.106700 Under-age camel jockeys get caring hand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021172611/http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/under-age-camel-jockeys-get-caring-hand-1.106700 |date=21 October 2012 }}. gulfnews. Retrieved 2011-10-25.</ref> Many however, are unable to identify their parents or home communities in South Asia or Sudan. Some countries have issued penalties for those who trafficked child camel jockeys and ordered the owners responsibilities for returning the children back to their home countries. However, they report that in many instances the children rescued were those who had been sold away by their own parents in exchange for money or a job abroad. If they were returned, the children would again be sold for the same purposes. Other children did not speak their native languages, or did not know how to live outside the camel farms.

A prominent activist for rehabilitation and recovery of the jockeys is Pakistani lawyer [[Ansar Burney]]. He has focused a portion of his work on eliminating the use of child jockeys.

===Banning===
The United Arab Emirates was the first to ban the use of children under 15 as jockeys in camel racing when [[Sheikh]] [[Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan|Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] announced the ban on 29 July 2002.<ref>[http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2005/May/theuae_May691.xml&section=theuae "UAE enforces stringent steps to eradicate child jockeys."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306012735/http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data%2Ftheuae%2F2005%2FMay%2Ftheuae_May691.xml&section=theuae |date=6 March 2014 }} (Wam), ''[[Khaleej Times]]'', 24 May 2005</ref> In 2009 the UAE paid compensation to 879 former jockeys.<ref>Nelson, Dean. (5 May 2009) [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/bangladesh/5278605/Former-camel-jockeys-compensated-by-UAE.html "Former camel jockeys compensated by UAE."] ''Telegraph''. Retrieved 2012-01-27.</ref> While the UAE has said that it issues penalties for those found using children as jockeys, in 2010 volunteers from Anti-Slavery International photographed violations of the ban.<ref>Peachey, Paul(3 March 2010). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uae-defies-ban-on-child-camel-jockeys-1914915.html "UAE defies ban on child camel jockeys."] ''The Independent''. Retrieved 2012-01-27.</ref> Nowadays, the UAE is the birthplace of the current robot jockeys, which are designed to ride camels. The original design, a joint effort between the UAE and Switzerland. <ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Guide to Camel Race Abu Dhabi |url=https://www.arabiers.com/ae/en/# |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Arabiers |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tusing |first1=David |last2=Whiteoak |first2=Chris |date=2022-02-04 |title=Bait Al Thiqa – the Dubai company making robot jockeys |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/02/04/bait-al-thiqa-the-dubai-company-making-robot-jockeys/ |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>

In Qatar, the former [[Emir of Qatar]], [[Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani|Hamad Al Thani]], banned child jockeys in 2005<ref name=GUK>[https://www.theguardian.com/life/thisweek/story/0,12977,1458529,00.html Can robots ride camels?] by Ian Sample, ''[[The Guardian]]'', Thursday, 2005-04-14</ref> and directed that, by 2007, all camel races would be directed by [[robot jockey|robotic jockey]]s.<ref name="Wired">Lewis, Jim (November 2005). [https://uae-onlinecasinos.com/robots-of-arabia/ "Robots of Arabia."] ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', Issue 13.11.</ref>