Camel jockey, Qatar, 1998
Children as young as four or five were once used as jockeys at the popular Al Shahaniya track, about one hour’s drive north of Doha, where camel racing takes place over several months of the year.
Human rights groups condemned the exploitation of the children, who came mainly from impoverished families in South Asian countries.
Amid continuing criticism, the Qatari government banned the use of child jockeys in 2005.
Since then, small robots have been used instead, with the whipping ‘hand’ controlled remotely.
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