A delegation from the UAE arrived in the Bangladeshi capital this week to hand the money over, which will be distributed to 879 children, Bangladesh's state minister for home affairs Tanjim Ahmed told reporters.

'Using under-aged children as camel jockeys was a despicable incident. It stirred the world's conscience. The scars will heal through this compensation,' he said.

Mr Ahmed said most of those to get compensation had been trafficked to the UAE.

Each child will get between US$1,000 and US$10,000, depending on the injuries sustained as a result of camel racing.

The jockeys frequently fall off the animals, sustaining serious injuries that can sometimes be fatal, particularly if they are trampled on by the camels, according to the UN children's fund Unicef.

'This compensation programme will be a great help to those affected children for their rehabilitation, medical treatment and education.' The UAE announced in October last year it would give 52,700 for Bangladeshi children used as camel jockeys, but Mr Ahmed said officials found a higher number of those affected than the 29 initially thought to have worked.

Some 200 Bangladeshi children were repatriated three years ago when the UAE signed an agreement with Unicef to outlaw the practice.

The UAE banned child jockeys in 1993 although abuses remained widespread until the 2005 agreement.

Grinding poverty and lack of jobs in Bangladesh, where 40 per cent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, drives millions abroad each year to send money back to their families.

Poor parents are vulnerable to traffickers who prey on their desperation by making false promises of good jobs abroad for their children.

Instead, some parents find that their children end up working as camel jockeys, prostitutes or maids in slave-like conditions. -- AFP