Exploitation often stems from systemic issues:

Protecting teenagers from exploitation requires a multi-faceted approach:

| Form of Exploitation | Estimated Prevalence in Asia* | Typical Settings | Primary Victims | |----------------------|------------------------------|------------------|-----------------| | Forced labor (e.g., factories, agriculture) | 7–10 % of child labourers in the region | Rural farms, garment factories, construction sites | Both boys and girls, especially from low‑income families | | Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) | Tens of thousands of teens identified annually | Urban brothels, online platforms, trafficking routes | Predominantly girls; some boys in “male‑sex‑work” markets | | Child trafficking (domestic & trans‑national) | 2–3 % of all trafficking victims are Asian teens | Borders, migrant work pipelines, informal labor markets | Girls for CSE; boys for forced labor | | Involvement in illicit economies (e.g., drug labs, mining) | Limited reliable data, but growing concern in Southeast Asia | Remote mining camps, drug‑cultivation regions | Primarily boys from impoverished rural areas |