Desert Riders

Suspicious accidents, undernourishment, sleep deprivation, rape, growth-retarding injections; the stories of young veteran jockeys Rafiq, Nasir, Ronnie, Amirul, Lokmon, Mobarak and Hasan are truly appalling. \i Desert Riders\i0 gives us a shocking look behind the scenes of camel racing in the wealthy United Arab Emirates - a sport that grew from local to international prominence in the 1980s. The need for light jockeys led to a trade in very young, illegally imported children from poor countries such as Sudan, Pakistan and Bangladesh - a modern form of slavery. This documentary chronicles the rise and prohibition of the use of child jockeys, using interviews with former jockeys, local and international children's rights activists, a British photographer, parents, child traffickers and camel farmers. These interviews are intercut with footage showing the atmosphere around camel races, accompanied by an almost omnipresent soundtrack. Unfortunately, the ban has not put an end to their suffering, as children returning to their homes no longer recognize their families, don't speak the language, or are sick. The director of the Camel Race Association simply dismisses all the stories as lies and propaganda. Although the jockeys have now been replaced by robots, it remains unclear whether children still work on the ranches or not.