Children on the Move in South-East Asia: Why child protection systems are needed

Hundreds of thousands of children are migrating within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and beyond in East and South-East Asia. Many are invisible to the public. Many have been exploited. Yet children’s migration has drawn little attention. This report provides an overview of children’s migration in the region, including some of the problems of exploitation, abuse and violence those children experience. It argues that systematic approaches to child protection are needed for both migrant and non-migrant children in all places across the region, and that children’s participation should be a key component of these approaches.