QATAR: UPDATE ON UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEYS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000849

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA, G/TIP, DRL, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2015
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV ELAB KCRM QA
SUBJECT: QATAR: UPDATE ON UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEYS

REF: DOHA 833

Classified By: Ambassador Chase Untermeyer for reasons 1.4 (A) and (B)


1. (U) Summary. Recently concluded camel races in Qatar
provided an opportunity to learn about the child camel jockey
situation in Qatar. While the findings point to a significant
problem, recent statements and pledges by government
officials suggest that the GOQ may finally be taking some
important steps toward addressing the issue of underage camel
jockeys (reftel). End Summary.

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Post's Findings
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2. (U) On April 10-20th, regional camel races for the GCC
countries were held in Qatar. Discussions with child
jockeys, a local employee, and an Imam suggested that there
are over four hundred children residing in Qatar for use as
camel jockeys. Approximately 95% of the children observed
are Sudanese, with the remaining 5% from Somalia, Bangladesh
and Nepal. Sources also alleged that hundreds of additional
children were brought into Qatar from the GCC countries for
the regional races and that they did not pass through Qatar's
Immigration Department.

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Day at the Races
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3. (U) Attempts by Embassy representative on the first day of
the races to speak with and photograph child jockeys met with
resistance. Children accompanied by guardians refused to have
their pictures taken. When asked why, some answered that
showing their photos in the newspaper was "not good." (Note:
Initial pictures taken were confiscated by authorities at the
racetrack who advised that photos could only be taken from
the spectators' stands. End Note.) The children agreed to
talk or have their photos taken only when they were alone or
in a secluded area. An Embassy representative spoke with a
few children, between four and six years of age, who were
barefoot, received little schooling, and claimed that they
had little to eat. One boy stated that his father refused to
send him to school because "school spoils boys." When asked
about his father, the boy explained that this was not his
real father, but that he was asked to call the man "father."

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The View From the Racetrack
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4. (U) Over eight hundred children from various GCC states
were observed participating in the semi-final races. During
the fifth round, two camels were observed coming through the
finish line without jockeys. When asked about the missing
jockeys it was commented that the jockeys must have fallen
off the camels onto the racetrack. After a few minutes an
ambulance drove by carrying the two children who had fallen.
In the eighth round another child fell from his camel at the
take-off point and he was placed immediately into an
ambulance.

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Interview with the Imam
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5. (U) A Sudanese Imam of a local mosque alleged that the
number of underage children living at the racing compound
exceeded six hundred and that children as young as two and a
half years have been brought to Qatar for training. The Imam
stated that the children slept little as they got up at 4:30
in the morning for training. During the day the children are
kept constantly moving from place to place so that they do
not gain weight. While some real fathers did bring their own
children to be employed as camel jockeys, the Imam maintained
that the majority of the children's designated guardians were
not their real fathers. Some of the guardians paid the real
fathers in order to bring their children to Qatar to work as
camel jockeys. The guardians tell the parents that there are
good schools in Doha and that their child will get the
opportunity to work and study at the same time.


6. (U) The Imam also stated that at least six children died
each year during the training and the races. Many more are
severely injured. Children receiving light injuries are not
taken to the hospital but are taken care of by their
guardians. The Imam stated that pleas to officials in the
Sudanese Embassy went unheeded as the officials maintained
that they could not provide help or services to anyone who
left Sudan illegally.

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The Obstacles
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7. (U) Sheikha Ghalia Bint Mohamed Al-Thani, the first cousin
of the Emir, Deputy Chairperson of Human Rights Committee and
a pediatrician by profession, is the strongest proponent of
banning the use of children as camel jockeys. She has
admitted her frustration in trying to get legislation passed
on this issue. Legislation supporting the recent Cabinet
announcement banning the use of children as camel jockeys has
yet to be enacted. One of the main sticking points centers on
what penalties to set. Sheikha Ghalia also expressed concern
about progress on this issue as the TIP Implementation
Committee, which she headed, recently dissolved. The
Committee had only a year's mandate. Sheikha Ghalia has
expressed an interest in establishing a shelter for the
children and in working with Ansar Burney, a Pakistani human
rights activist working on the same issue in the UAE in this
endeavor.


8. (U) Sheikha Ghalia also alluded to strong local support
for camel racing as a major obstacle to making progress on
this issue. Prominent members of the ruling family are
strong supporters of camel racing. Other factors include
prestige and money. The camel that won the first prize at
the race was sold for over one million dollars. The Emir,
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his son Sheikh Tamim,
the heir apparent, both presided over the final races and
presented awards to the winners, demonstrating that the sport
of camel racing remains important to Qatar,s culture and
heritage.

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Official Responses
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9. (C) In response to the prospect of being downgraded to
Tier 3, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs met with
the Ambassador on May 5th and promised to "completely solve"
the problem of underage camel jockeys. The Minister
announced the Cabinet's decision to ban the use of young boys
as camel jockeys and expressed the Ministry's commitment to
working with the Embassy in providing shelter and
repatriating the young boys. Post is awaiting the MFA about
arrangements for a follow-on visit to the racing camp to
check out claims of a shelter and to assess the needs of the
boys (reftel).
UNTERMEYER