Typically when we think of the human rights of children issues like child labor or abuse against children come to mind. These are the two main issues that have come up in our discussion about the film Buffalo Girls. While the issue seems to be very black and white, there are a few other things to consider before denouncing or supporting children participating in muay thai fighting.
We must first consider the cultural aspect of muay thai fighting in Thai culture. Article 30 of the “Convention of the Rights of the Child” it states “ Minority of indigenous children have the right to learn about and practise their own culture, language, and religion. The right to practise one’s own culture, language, and religion applies to everyone; the Convention highlights this right in instances where the practices are not shared by the majority of the people in the country” While muay thai fighting seems to be widely embraced in Thailand, it’s not something that is usually practised here in the west. Those of us living here in the west cannot expect others of a different culture living in a different country to raise their children in a fashion similar to ours. I’m sure things like child beauty pageants might seem bizarre and a potential human rights issue in other parts of the world. That’s not to say that there are plenty of cultures that practice things that are a clear violation of human rights and shouldn’t be allowed to continue, but does something like muay thai fighting fall into that category?
The biggest issue that most people seem to have with children participating in muay thai fighting is obviously the violence. Which is a valid concern, no child should be subject to abuse. Article 19 of the CRC states, “ Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for and protect them from violence, abuse, and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them” The main difference between the children participating in muay thai fighting and what’s stated in the CRC is that in the CRC it seems to be discussing child abuse at the hands of a parent or guardian. It doesn’t necessarily address the issue of things like sports, which is what muay thai fighting is a sport. Muay thai fighting isn’t the only sport that children participate in that is considered violent, here in the US we have kids who are roughly the same age as the children in Thailand who participate in little league football. Football is notorious for it’s brutal tackles that leave players with concussions and potential neurological issues later in life, yet we allow American children to play. There are also little league rugby or hockey teams, two other notoriously “violent” sports, yet no one seems to object too much to kids here in the west of “global north” participating in these sports. As long as measures are taken to ensure the safety of the children participating in these sports, there should be no reason why they shouldn’t play them. Playing sports can lead to a whole new world of opportunities for many children living in poverty and can change their lives for the better significantly.
We must first consider the cultural aspect of muay thai fighting in Thai culture. Article 30 of the “Convention of the Rights of the Child” it states “ Minority of indigenous children have the right to learn about and practise their own culture, language, and religion. The right to practise one’s own culture, language, and religion applies to everyone; the Convention highlights this right in instances where the practices are not shared by the majority of the people in the country” While muay thai fighting seems to be widely embraced in Thailand, it’s not something that is usually practised here in the west. Those of us living here in the west cannot expect others of a different culture living in a different country to raise their children in a fashion similar to ours. I’m sure things like child beauty pageants might seem bizarre and a potential human rights issue in other parts of the world. That’s not to say that there are plenty of cultures that practice things that are a clear violation of human rights and shouldn’t be allowed to continue, but does something like muay thai fighting fall into that category?
The biggest issue that most people seem to have with children participating in muay thai fighting is obviously the violence. Which is a valid concern, no child should be subject to abuse. Article 19 of the CRC states, “ Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for and protect them from violence, abuse, and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them” The main difference between the children participating in muay thai fighting and what’s stated in the CRC is that in the CRC it seems to be discussing child abuse at the hands of a parent or guardian. It doesn’t necessarily address the issue of things like sports, which is what muay thai fighting is a sport. Muay thai fighting isn’t the only sport that children participate in that is considered violent, here in the US we have kids who are roughly the same age as the children in Thailand who participate in little league football. Football is notorious for it’s brutal tackles that leave players with concussions and potential neurological issues later in life, yet we allow American children to play. There are also little league rugby or hockey teams, two other notoriously “violent” sports, yet no one seems to object too much to kids here in the west of “global north” participating in these sports. As long as measures are taken to ensure the safety of the children participating in these sports, there should be no reason why they shouldn’t play them. Playing sports can lead to a whole new world of opportunities for many children living in poverty and can change their lives for the better significantly.
Very thoughtful post here on Buffalo Girls. I appreciate and learn from your detailed reading of the CRC -- the right to one's cultural practices is an important point we haven't discussed in class, and I think you are correct that the protection against violence seems to be aimed at parents and guardians. In the latter case, I assume parents to be responsible for the activities in which their children engage. More complex may be a possible argument about hazardous child labor, assuming we take the Muay Thai we saw in Buffalo Girls to be equivalent to a job.
ReplyDeleteI do notice that in paragraph 2, you argue that Thai cultural difference makes our Western standards inapplicable. In paragraph 3, though, you seem to reverse your underlying approach and argue that we should judge Thai practices by specifically American standards.
International Human Rights compacts offer a different approach. Sadly, and perhaps surprisingly, the CRC isn't actually relevant in the US, for we (along with Somalia and South Sudan, I believe) have yet to ratify it. It may be very hard for us to think of American children as having less international protection of their rights than those in smaller and poorer country like Thailand, but this seems to be the case. If so, it might not actually be at all relevant to Buffalo Girls what Americans allow their children to do.