They also called for raising public awareness to ensure reproductive health rights of the youth.

The workshop entitled 'Ensuring reproductive health and prevention of violence against youth' was organised by Nari Maitree, an NGO for women, in collaboration with UNFPA at the Cirdap auditorium in the city.

Nari Maitree organised the workshop as a closing part of its nine-day-long healthcare programme in observance of the World Population Day 2006 under the Second Urban Health Care Project (UPHCP-II), Partnership Area (PA)-6.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rafikus Sultan of UNFPA said the reproductive health issue should be viewed as the right of youth to know about it.

Active participation of youth should also be taken into consideration while formulating programme about youth and adolescent health, he added.

Sirajul Haider, director of UPHCP, PA-2 called for preventing violence against adolescent and youth and creating public awareness to help stop them.

The speakers also stressed the need for adequate social and legal supports for abused youths.

They said trained persons and counsellors should be at the hospitals to address the special needs of abused adolescents and youths.

Dr Mirza AHM Barek, line director of family planning department and Dr Nargis Rahman, director of primary health care, also spoke at the workshop moderated by Milon Bikash Pal, executive director of Public Service Training Centre.

SM Zahurul Islam, secretary to Local Government Division of LGED ministry, was the chief guest at the inaugural session chaired by Doulotunnesa, president of Nari Maitree.

During the nine-day-long programme Nari Maitree brought out colourful procession and organised community meeting, open discussion with pregnant mothers, couples' rally and adolescent fair to create awareness about HIV/AIDS at different wards of Dhaka City Corporation.