Online punch-up over Thai child boxing

Our report on children’s boxing in Thailand last Saturday set off a rather intense series of online jabs and counter-punches from some of our viewers. We profiled the under 50lbs Superkids Championship fight at the Thape Boxing Stadium in Chang Mai last Saturday. This came just a few days after the American and Canadian Associations of Paediatricians issued statements calling on physicians “to vigorously oppose boxing for any child or adolescent.”

Doctors are increasingly concerned that young people run the risk serious short and long term injuries – including brain damage – as a result of the “deliberate blows” that are the very heart of the sport. Such concerns are often dismissed here in Thailand. The sport is known as “Muay Thai” here and is thought to be an integral part of the country’s national culture. Many argue that it remains a noble – and healthy pursuit for those of all ages. You can watch our film below.

On Channel 4 News’ Facebook page and on other forums, some viewers felt this was a clear example of the “universal” rights of children being violated – kids have the right to grow up in a healthy and safe environment and are supposed to be free of the pressures of work. This argument is supported by the fact that Thailand has signed relevant international treaties – like the Convention on Children’s Rights and the ILO Convention on Child Labour – which would seem to prohibit the participation of young people in Muay Thai.

Other viewers fought back, saying the child rights people were guilty of “judging” Thai culture from a western perspective. Muay Thai is a respected Asian martial art that demands discipline, hard work and great concentration – and besides, what would the kids be doing if they weren’t boxing?

As so often happens in television news, we film elements that do not make it into the final report. In this case, I conducted a revealing interview with the father of the 10 year old champion boxer Nuk – and I think it is worth publishing some of that material now because it provides important context.

Nirun Chaiwang is a single parent with two boys (Nuk and Nerd – both boxers) and a girl to look after. He is a carpenter by trade but has suffered long spells without work. When he does find it, he earns about 300 Baht a day (almost £6). The kids seem to move around a fair bit – but when we caught up with the Chaiwang family, they were staying at the ramshackle home of a relative which featured a sewage ditch cut through the back garden. Nuk was sleeping in a shack built onto the back of the house.

Mr Chaiwang said he needed the money that his son earned from boxing to pay for his children’s education.

“Nuk’s money is very important. We use it for school fees, clothes, books, shoes,” he said.

His son fights two or three times a month from which he receives an appearance fee (roughly £20) – a winner’s fee (another £20) and “gifts” from those who have gambled and won on his bout (this can be far more lucrative). So what was the Chaiwang family’s priority – boxing or education?

“School is a must,” he responded. “When they have to go to school, they go to school but they also like boxing so when it is time to train, they train.”

Nuk’s father said he is aware of the dangers associated with boxing.

“I am worried about them suffering brain damage. When you get older it does have an effect. I know that.”

Mr Chaiwang knows – because he was a boxer too.

“My nose and other bones in my face were broken,” he said pointing to the area just above his eyes. At the age of 16 he quit after a particularly brutal encounter.

“I couldn’t eat for two days. I couldn’t get up because it was so painful. That’s why I stopped.”

Still, Nirun Chaiwang – like many other people we met in Chang Mai – does not think children are old enough – or strong enough to seriously hurt each other: “most kids don’t get injured because they’re not that violent. That happens more to the adults.”

So, could the kids quit if they wanted to? Nuk’s father said it was up to them.

“If they get bored, it is up to them to stop. I won’t force them.”

I did not find Mr Chaiwang to possess a militant – or even a strong set of views on the subject. The fact that his kids participate in Muay Thai is both a product of Thai culture – and circumstances – the Chaiwang family really needs the money. Few people here – including a small number of doctors who have spoken up about the issue – would wish to deny poor families a valuable source of income. What Nuk’s father does not possess however, is an awareness of the latest medical thinking on the impact of concussions and other head injuries on young people – and that I fear, is something he may come to regret in the future.

You can follow John Sparks on Twitter @C4sparks