US embassy cable - 05DOHA849

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 
--------------- 
 
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 
---------------- 
 
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 
--------------------------- 
 
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. 
 
----------------------- 
Interview with the Imam 
----------------------- 
 
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 
------------- 
 
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 
------------------ 
 
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