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4 APRIL 22, 2019

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Online Extra!Don’t miss our guided-

writing template for help crafting an essay on what

limits—if any—should be placed on young muay Thai fighters.

A young girl prepares to compete in a muay Thai fight in Thailand this past fall.

FIGHTING THEIR WAY

OUT OF POVERTY

JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 5

Hundreds of thousands of kids in Thailand turn to kickboxing—the country’s dangerous national pastime—to

earn money for their families. But when a 13-year-old boxer died after being hit in the ring last fall, many people

began to wonder: Is it sport or child abuse?BY BEN C. SOLOMON

CHILD LABOR

6 APRIL 22, 2019

Thailand’s InequalityOnce a poor, agricultural nation, Thailand is widely considered an economic success story. Over the past few decades, the nation’s economy has boomed, thanks largely to increases in tourism and manufacturing. According to the World Bank, the country’s poverty rate declined to 7 percent in 2015, from 67 percent in 1986.

However, most of the economic growth has been limited to the area around the capital, Bangkok. Many people in rural areas, especially those not visited by tourists, continue to struggle. More than 80 percent of the country’s 7.1 million poor people were living in rural areas as of 2014.

In these places, many children have to work on farms, in factories, or in fisheries to help their families. Some turn to other activities, such as muay Thai, to fight their way out of poverty.

SUPATTRA INTHIRAT, 12, sprawled on a bamboo mat

and closed her eyes as her

father massaged her toned arms

with oil. Her father whispered a

prayer into her ear in preparation for

her 15th muay Thai (moy tie) fight.

Supattra, known as

Pancake, faced her rival in

front of 400 fans under

the bright lights on a

small stage in

northeastern Thailand.

She would be fighting

for a purpose: $60. That is

almost half a month’s salary

for many families in the region.

“She will be a champion,” her

father said. “She must train early

to build up her boxing bones.”

Muay Thai is a sport that mixes

kicking, punching, kneeing, and

elbowing. Fights are typically five

rounds of three minutes each.

As You Read, Think About:What can the global communitydo to prevent child labor?

Competitors wear

10-ounce gloves.

They fight without

any protective

headgear. Muay Thai has

grown from a local sport into

a worldwide phenomenon over the

past 400 years. Movies and video

games have made it more popular.

Across Thailand, a country in

Southeast Asia, muay Thai is

embraced by both the rich and the

poor. For the poor, it can be a form

of social mobility. It is a chance for

muscled young boxers—some as

young as 6—to help their families.

They hope to fight their families’

way out of poverty and into the

country’s growing middle class (see

“Thailand’s Inequality,” below). For

the rich, muay Thai is an excuse to

gamble. Some people bet tens of

thousands of dollars each night.

The sport made international

headlines this past November.

Anucha Tasako, 13, died after being

CHILD FIGHTERSTwo boys compete in

a muay Thai fight in northeastern Thailand.

Kids catchfish in a river

near Bangkok, the capital

of Thailand.

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knocked out in a muay Thai fight. It

happened just south of the capital

city of Bangkok. Video showed that

Anucha had received five fierce

blows to the head. He died in a

hospital two days after the fight. He

had fought an astonishing 174

bouts since the age of 8.

Now Thailand has been left to

rethink the danger of a sport that

involves underage fighters—and

the shadowy gambling economy

built around it.

“It’s child labor and child abuse,”

says Jiraporn Laothamatas. She is a

doctor who specializes in treating

the head, neck, and spine. She is

leading the charge to ban kids from

boxing. Last year, she released a

seven-year study on the effect of

muay Thai on children’s brains. Her

research showed a steady drop in IQ

and brain function for kids who fight.

“We are destroying our children

for sport,” Jiraporn says.

“It’s in Our Blood to Fight”Anucha’s death stirred a wave of

shock and anger across Thailand.

In response, lawmakers there

proposed a measure that would ban

competitive boxing for kids younger

than 12. It would also require child

fighters between the ages of 12 and

15 to wear safety equipment. That

includes head guards.

But not everyone agrees with

the proposal.

“This will destroy muay Thai,”

says Sudhichai Chokekijchai. He is

a doctor for professional boxers in

Bangkok and a fight enthusiast.

“We should be focused on

[preventing injuries. These kids]

are fighting for their lives.”

The national rules state that

boxers 15 and older are required to

only push people away from doing it

safely. These kids are healthy. They

stay away from drugs and crime.

How will the government support

them if they take fighting away?”

Necessary IncomeIn Thailand, muay Thai competitions

have stayed outside child protection

and labor laws (see “Understand-

ing . . . Child Labor Around the

World,” above). Thai law says that

only kids who earn a salary are

workers. Any money won in muay

Thai fights is considered an award

and not a salary. That makes it legal.

Child boxing has its strongest

following in Thailand’s poorer and

more rural regions. There, that

money can be an important boost.

Entire families may earn $200 a

month working on farms and in rice

paddies. By comparison, a child

fighter can bring in $60 to PA

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Worldwide, nearly 152 million kids ages 5 to 17 are child laborers. Many of them live in poor villages in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia where there are few high-paying job opportunities. As a result, children are often forced to work to help support their families. In many cases, kids spend so much time on the job that they aren’t able to go to school, further weakening their chances of escaping poverty.

The good news, however, is that some progress has been made. In fact, the number of child laborers worldwide has decreased by 40 percent since 2000. Experts say that’s largely the result of international efforts to strengthen—and enforce—existing child labor laws.

Child Labor Around the WorldUNDERSTANDING . . .

register to fight officially. The rules

are vague for competitors under

that age. Parental permission is

required. But there is little guidance

as to gambling and safety.

Meanwhile, most fights happen

unofficially. A Thai investigative

journalism center reported that

more than 10,000 child fighters had

registered from 2010 to 2017. Yet

according to boxing officials, nearly

200,000 children under age 15

regularly compete.

“It’s in our blood to fight,”

Sudhichai says. “These laws will

$600Amount a young

fighter in Thailand can earn for a

muay Thai victorySOURCE: The New York Times

A young girlworks at amarket insoutheasternThailand.

8 APRIL 22, 2019

$600 for a victory. A knockout can

earn even more.

The Life of a Child BoxerA life of discipline and dedication

begins early for young fighters.

Children punch donated bags with

rotting gloves in small, makeshift

training camps in rural parts of

Thailand.

The best of them are recruited by

Bangkok fight gyms. These act as

boarding schools, where elite young

fighters live away from their families.

They sleep piled together on tiny

mattresses.

The fighters follow a tough training

routine. They begin their day at 4:30

in the morning with a 6-mile run in

the dark. Then they practice boxing

from 5:30 to 7. This is followed by

school into the afternoon. Then there

is another training session until the

sun goes down. The dream is to go

pro. Pro fighters can earn up to

$40,000 a year.

At the famous Rajadamnern

Stadium in Bangkok, muay Thai

fights are held four times a week.

Thai men and women and foreign

tourists pack into the stadium. They

shove their hands into the air to

signal their bets. These can range

from $50 to up to $500.

“She’ll Need to Train Harder”Pancake’s career has had a promising

start. Girls are relatively new to muay

Thai. But they make up a growing

sector. Coming from a middle-class

family, Pancake is one of the luckier

boxers. Her father is a former fighter

himself. She is able to train with him

in their makeshift home gym.

Pancake had won 12 competitions

going into her 15th fight.

That night, she climbed into the

ring to face another 12-year-old girl.

After five rounds of flailing arms

and legs, the two girls walked off.

Their faces were sweaty and

battered. The judges’ unanimous

decision: Pancake had lost. Her

father gathered her things. “She’ll

need to train harder,” he said. �

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A Global Problem This map highlights a few countries where child labor is still common.

WRITE ABOUT IT!What limits—if any—should the Thai govern-

ment place on muay Thai fighting? Should children be banned from participating? Using details from the article, write an essay supporting your point of view. Be sure to consider how officials could balance kids’ desire to help support their families with the need to protect kids’ health and safety.

Demand Change Conduct research

online to find out whether the companies you support use child labor at any point in their supply chains. If they do, contact them via social media and urge them to do their part to end the practice.

Shop Locally More than

70 percent of child laborers work in agriculture. To ensure that your fruits and vegetables were ethically harvested, encourage your parents to shop at a local farmer’s market—or grow some of your own produce.

Raise Awareness Let people know

about the plight of child laborers worldwide—and what you’re doing to help them. Spread the word online with the hashtag #endchildlabor.

How to Fight Child Labor

MEXICOMore than 2.5 million kids in Mexico work as child laborers, often for up to 50 hours a week. Many of them are employed on farms or in clothing factories without proper safety equipment, such as face masks or gloves.

SOURCE: International Labor Organization


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1. Which region of the world has the most child laborers?

2. How many kids there are child laborers?3. What percentage of kids in the Americas

are child laborers?4. About 62 million kids are child laborers in

which region?5. The equator runs through which labeled

country?

6. According to this map, what do some child laborers in that country do?

7. In which direction would you travel to get from that nation to Côte d’Ivoire?

8. How much does the average child laborer in Bangladesh earn a day?

9. On which continent is that country located? 10. Which labeled countries are entirely north

of the equator?

Map Skills

A Global Problem This map highlights a few countries where child labor is still common.

Visit MAP SKILLS BOOT CAMPat junior.scholastic.com

for more geography practice.

BANGLADESHA recent report found that many Bangladeshi children—some as young as 6—work up to 110 hours a week in garment factories or on construc-tion sites. On average, they earn just $2 a day.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGOIn this Central African country, kids as young as 7 spend hours at a time in underground mines searching for cobalt, an essential component in phones, laptops, and other digital devices.

Percent of kids per regionwho are child laborers

Africa: 19.6%(72.1 million)

Asia and the Pacific: 7.4%(62.1 million)

Americas: 5.3%(10.7 million)

Europe and Central Asia: 4.1%(5.5 million)

Arab States: 2.9%(1.2 million)

PARAGUAY An estimated 46,000 kids in Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America, work for wealthier families as cooks, housekeepers, or nannies. Others labor on farms, harvesting corn, sugarcane, and tomatoes.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE Although child labor is banned in this West African nation, many kids get up at dawn to harvest cocoa in the scorching heat, using huge machetes to hack open cocoa pods.

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