PESHAWAR, Sept 26: Speakers at a media workshop expressed concern over lack of awareness about the rights of the adolescents and urged teachers and journalists to play their role to safeguard the rights of the youths.

"The adolescents faced hardships because of lack of communication with parents and teachers. There should be a campaign to be jointly run by the teachers, newsmen and the NGOs to spread the message across to deal with the adolescents in a way that could inculcate a sense of confidence in them," said UNFPA adviser, Fayaz Ahmad Khan.

He was speaking at a workshop organized by a local NGO on Sunday. According to him, the students often resorted to unhealthy activities. He said that journalists should look for stories regarding adolescents which are of interest for society.

For instance, he said that new youth policies announced by the government should be critically analysed and be pursued to see if they were implemented in letter and spirit.

UNFPA's Country Representative Chris Wardle said he would seek meetings with newspaper editors and publishers to win their support for publishing more reports on issues relating to the adolescents.