Twenty-five experts from China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan and other Asian countries will exchange views on adolescent reproductive health in a week-long training camp which opened Thursday in Shanghai.
The International Training Camp on Sex and Adolescent Reproductive Health, organized by the State Family Planning Commission, is expected to further cooperation among Asian countries in promoting the reproductive health of young people, sources said.
Wang Yifei, an official from the World Health Organization, said that adolescents account for one fifth of the world population. It is critical to maintain the reproductive health of these young people in order to realize healthy reproduction of human beings.
Statistics show that some 4 million adolescents have unsafe abortions every year. Half of the people infected with HIV each year are young girls under the age of 25.
Experts said that as premarital sex is pervading the world and people are becoming increasingly open toward sexual activities, it is urgent for relevant governmental departments to provide effective reproduction and sex guidance to young people.
(People’s Daily November 2, 2001)
