Young people yesterday demanded more protection under the new constitution and to be allowed to participate in drawing up legislation relating to them.

Among the points that the 17th Children's Forum in Bangkok wanted more attention paid to was violence and injustice, Wallop Tangkananurak, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) said yesterday.

The two-day forum, which ended yesterday, involved 200 children and youth representatives from all 76 provinces.

It called on the government to allocate funds to set up a National Youth Council to advise to agencies working on children and youth issues. The government should take measures against media that violate children's rights or present programmes bad for children.

The assembly also demanded free, quality 12-year mandatory education regardless of sex, religion and economic status, Wallop said.

The National Youth Bureau and the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, which organised the forum, plan to collate all information from the meeting and draft a children's version of the constitution. They will then pass it on to the prime minister, the NLA, the Constitution Drafting Assembly and the media.

Representatives at the forum came from groups for the disabled, the underprivileged, children affected by HIV/Aids, homeless children and children in Juvenile Observation and Protection Centres.

Officials from the Social Development and Human Security Ministry and the Culture Ministry and representatives from non-government organisations attended the meeting.

The Children's Forum is held annually to commemorate Universal Children's Rights Day on November 20.