Camel racing

Camels are often controlled by child jockeys, but allegations of human rights abuses have led to nationwide bans on underage labor in the UAE and Qatar.

It can be at least traced back to the 7th century CE Arabian Peninsula where it was a folk sport practiced at social gatherings and festivals.

[1][2] Camels have held an important position in Middle Eastern societies as modes of transportation beyond racing for thousands of years, only recently replaced by automobiles in the mid-20th Century during the oil boom in the region.

[3] Historically, many camel races in the Persian Gulf region of the Middle East existed to serve the purpose of a social event and celebration rather than an intense competition.

Bedouin communities often conducted short, 300 to 500 meter long races to commemorate special occasions such as weddings, religious festivals and feasts, and rainfall.

[3] With the immense influx of money into the Arab world as a result of the oil economy emerging in the 1960s and 70s, the societies of the region underwent massive transformation, and with it, so did camel racing.

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.

[13] 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.