Abu Dhabi, June 2,2006(WAM)--The Ministry of Interior andthe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) held a meeting here todayto coordinate their joint efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-childcamel jockeys into their respective communities.

The meeting which was headed on the UAE side by Col. Najm Al Housani,Head of the Directorate of Community Police, identified the needs ofthe former young jockeys with the aim of successfully re-integratingtheminto the main social stream of their home countries.

The Ministry of Interior and UNICEF started implementing the ex-jockeysrehabilitation and reintergartion project in May 2005.

The joint meeting was held to review the successes that have been madesince the launch of the project and also to address and redress anyshortcomings.

At the beginning of the meeting Col. Housani recounted the successes ofthe project during the last six months, saying that the project had culminatedin the return of children to their countries.

"We have repatriated many children. They have received their financialaid and are now happily settled in their communities. Our people whoare involved in this project have also gained considerable experiencein child protection and are prepared to share their experience with theneighbouring countries", said Housani.

For his part, Ismail Al Azhari Ibrahim, UNICEF Projects Regional Coordinatordescribed the project as a pioneering venture that led to the protectionof many children in the region within a very short time , a view sharedby his colleague Trish Hiddleston , UNICEF's Child Protection Programmeofficer.

"This rehabilitation, repatriate and reintegration programme was successfulmainly because of the extensive support provided by the UAE Governmentin terms of technical, logistical and financial aid. This covered supportfor the minors inside in the UAE and afterwards in their own countriesafter repatriation", said Butheina Al Khateeb, Project Coordinator.

The meeting was attended by a number of consultants who will assist inthe implementation of the project in the concerned countries which includePakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and Mauritania respectively.

The project came into after the UAE banned the use of camel jockeys underthe age of 16 and weighing less than 45 kilograms (100 pounds) in camelraces.