Exploited teen forced into surgery amid China's job crisis

In one of the clinics specializing in aesthetic procedures in China, the staff persuaded a 19-year-old young man with an intellectual disability to undergo breast implant surgery. They argued that it could help him gain popularity on the internet and be a source of income.

The boy is not the only victim of scammers exploiting young people looking for work. According to the victim's mother, a resident of Wuhan, her son, who has the intellectual capacity of a five-year-old, underwent the procedure on July 28 after being persuaded by clinic employees where he was looking for a job.

They convinced him that participating in live internet broadcasts would bring him earnings. He took out a loan for 37,000 yuan (about $5,100).

With the support of lawyers and the media, the mother managed to cancel the loan and remove her son's implants, but the trauma remained. The case caused widespread outrage on social media platforms, where netizens commented on it as a barbaric act.

Reuters reports on the increase in scams in China, particularly in the deteriorating economic situation. This type of crime is increasingly victimizing students and graduates desperately seeking jobs.

There was also a high-profile case of a student who decided to work as a food courier after being persuaded by an employee of an electric scooter shop. He was promised high earnings. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be different, and the promised income was much lower, barely covering the cost of renting the scooter.

The problem of unemployment among young people in China is growing. In July, unemployment among people aged 16-24 reached 17.1%, an increase from 13.2% in June. Young people struggle to find jobs due to a lack of experience.

Meanwhile, people around 30 years old who are employed are holding onto their jobs because the job market has an unofficial criterion excluding candidates over 40, known as the "35-year-old curse".