When you overhear “Muay-Thai Boxing” for children, it may echoes like after-school excitement, but then again, you are in for a huge shock. Young Thai boys and girls, before even reaching their puberty, have already groomed into professionals by funded to training and public fights. In modern day Thailand, adolescents as early as five, start earning cash by taking part in a style of prizefighting, more correctly the combat sport which is also known as the “Science/Art of 8 Limbs” which uses fists, knees and feet as well as elbows.
Young fighters prepare their bodies for rough-and-ready ring competition, mostly aimed at focusing on body conditioning during daily training exercises. On the other hand, medical professionals say it is hazardous, unsafe and want it forbidden. Yet, when asked, why you fight? a widespread respond from a child boxer usually would be “I fight to make my mom and dad happy.”
This 700-year-old Thai martial art may almost seem, as though there is the spiritual part to Muay-Thai. Perceived once upon a time, as the best resources for Thailand to defend itself against foreign invasion, but in modern times, Muay-Thai is hardly a weapon for nationwide safe keeping; Yet, the thirst for thrill, makes this a fierce and urgent sport. Then again, it’s also one of the few avenues for thousands of children and their parents around countryside Thailand, through which they can getaway extreme poverty.
Thailand’s leadership applied official rules to the region of Muay Boran, when increased number of fighters often sustained fatal injuries, which lead to the developed of Muay-Thai into a sport. Branching from the ancient martial art of Muay Boran, these Warriors of skills start their drills as little as 6 or 7. Every youngster stands to change his or her family’s riches with a winning blow, as adolescent daughters and sons, wildly punch and kick each other in rustic rings throughout Thailand, while amused audiences place their bets (particularly families, friends, farmers & trainers). As a matter of fact, the champion fighter will make more money in an hour than a farmer or factory worker grosses in a month.
When Thailand’s Foundation for Child Rights Protection Centre in Bangkok, tried to influence the Thai government to ban child boxing, farmers from countryside lined together, quarreling that the farming economy would collapse if such fights were prohibited; Henceforth, the motion to ban child prizefight failed. Although it is not clear, when it comes to the long-term effects on children, these villagers ultimately found these boxing matches to be an economic necessity.
Many disadvantages of child Muay-Thai boxing simply can’t be overlooked, where children are being exploited by greedy parents and trainers. It may very well be wrong to cheer competition at such a young age, but then again, this isn’t exclusive to Thailand; For example, the beauty pageants for juvenile girls in United States are very popular with some, but could easily be debated as exploitation by others.
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by Asif Kabir
