AIDS Surveillance and Education Project (ASEP), Philippines: reaching sexually exploited children under age 16

In the Philippines, some 100,000 to 500,000 minors younger than 18 are estimated to be involved in the sex industry. Studies undertaken by PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) and partner NGOs in urban sex areas show that prostituted children are at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV because of low awareness of STIs and HIV, risky sex, drug-injecting practices, and minors' limited access to preventive measures and services at government social hygiene clinics.