Calls to address 'youth bulge' to avoid unrest

06:03 am on 24 October 2016

Academics are warning the Pacific could be gripped by civil unrest unless more is done to occupy the region's growing youth population.

Fifty percent of Pacific island people are now under the age of 25, a phenomenon called the "youth bulge."

Advocates say governments and communities must enhance employment opportunities for the region's young before they turn to crime.

Ben Robinson Drawbridge reports.

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  More employment options, particularly in trades, are needed for the Pacific's growing youth population. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson