"The youths are an asset, not a liability, but we do not know how to handle them," said UNFPA Country Representative Suneeta Mukherjee.

The young people have the energy and determination and new ideas to bring changes to society and the community should recognise their participation in nation-building activities and leadership, she said.

The UNFPA organised the roundtable on 'Youths' participation and leadership' at the Cirdap auditorium in the city to mark the World Population Day.

Suneeta said the UNFPA has been providing training for the youths, aged between 10 and 24, on various issues such as safe motherhood, reproductive health, population and HIV/AIDS.

After the training, the youths will raise awareness about gender issues and violence against women and will be able to create pressure to uphold human rights, she added.

On Tuesday, the World Population Day, one million students will start working as scouts to raise awareness and each student will train ten more children in this regard, Suneeta mentioned.

Noor Mohammad, national programme officer (youth) of UNFPA, presented a paper on the condition of the youth in the country and their vulnerability.

Quoting a BDHS report of 2004, he said that 68 percent of girls get married before reaching the age of 18.

He also said that 53 percent of young couples do not use contraceptives and one third of young girls do not have knowledge about HIV/AIDS while 91 percent of young boys and girls have no knowledge about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

Providing right information through local channels, creating supportive environment, developing advocacy strategies for the community and limited knowledge of the workers are the main challenges, the speakers said.

Joint Secretary of the health ministry Mohammad Serajuddowla, Director General of the Department of Mass Communication Abdul Mannan also spoke at the roundtable moderated by Md Nurul Ameen, assistant representative of UNFPA.