Special events were held Thursday at the Renmin University of China in Beijing to mark the 16th World Population Day.

July 11 is the 16th World Population Day with the theme of "adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights." The slogan this year is: "1 billion adolescents: the right to health, information and services."

About one billion of the world's population are aged 15 to 24, including nearly 200 million in China.

Statistics from Marie Stopes International, a non-profit international organization that promotes reproductive health, show half the abortion cases and HIV virus carriers in the world are young people. About 6,000 young people are HIV-affected every day and 10 girls receive unsafe abortions every ten minutes. For girls younger than 15, the mortality rate connected to reproduction and pregnancy is 25 times higher than for women above the age of 25.

Young people are the most vulnerable of all age groups to emotional confusion and sexual diseases. The 2003 World Population Day will urge society to pay attention to young people's sexual health.

During the events, student volunteers of the Renmin University staged many lively programs to spread sexual and reproductive knowledge among the young people. Students were asked questions such as: "What are the three major ways of HIV virus transmission", "Name at least three contraception methods", and "Are oral contraceptives harmful to health".

Siri Tellier, representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), who attended the events, said: "Although young people are healthier than other age groups in general, they have specific risks related to their behavior."

Many risks could be avoided if they had the knowledge and services to make wise choices, said Tellier, calling for adults to have more respect and trust for young people.

Marie Stopes International opened a special website for young people to openly discuss emotional problems, sex and reproductive health.

The World Population Day was inaugurated in 1988 by the UNFPA to mark July 11, 1987, when the world's population hit five billion.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2003)