Brussels, 30/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has announced through its delegation in the West Bank that the programme called “post-trauma rehabilitation of Palestinian ex-detainee children” is to be extended by one year. The programme, which is applied on the ground by the Swedish branch of Save the Children, was launched one year ago and, according to an authorised source, has helped 500 children released from Israeli prisons and 291 parents of these former child detainees. With the use of playful education sessions, the aim of the project is to help defuse the feelings of violence engendered by what these children have suffered far from their homes. Hervé Caiveau, who heads the ECHO office in Jerusalem, explained that “the project aims at rehabilitating and reintegrating young child ex-detainees into their families and their society through individual and group counselling as well as career guidance”. Eyad Al-Araj, Regional Director of Save the Children Sweden, added: “We believe in a world that is free of violence against children, where children can hope and see their hope realised. We are working towards achievement of this vision”. (F.B./transl.jl)