Report reveals alarming statistics on childhood sexual violence
PUBLISHED : 10 Oct 2024 at 11:00
UNITED NATIONS – A shocking report by the United Nations reveals that over 370 million girls and women worldwide have been victims of rape or sexual assault before reaching 18 years of age, representing one in eight individuals. When including non-contact forms of sexual violence, such as online harassment, this number escalates to 650 million, or one in five, according to a groundbreaking global survey conducted by the UN’s children’s agency.
The report indicates that boys and men are also affected, with an estimated 240 to 310 million having experienced similar abuses during childhood, translating to about one in 11 males.
The report underscores the extensive scale of this human rights violation, which has been challenging to fully understand due to stigma and limited data collection efforts.
These findings arrive ahead of the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children scheduled in Colombia next month, highlighting the urgent need for increased global action to combat this issue.
The report notes that sexual violence transcends geographical, cultural, and economic barriers, particularly affecting regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 79 million girls and women are impacted, equating to 22%. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia follows closely with 75 million victims.
Additional statistics reveal that 73 million women and girls are affected in Central and Southern Asia, 68 million in Europe and Northern America, 45 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 29 million in Northern Africa and Western Asia. Oceania has the highest percentage of affected individuals, with 34% of its population impacted.
Settings classified as “fragile,” where institutions are weak or there are high numbers of refugees, show significantly heightened risks of sexual violence, reaching one in four.
Unicef Executive Director condemned the phenomenon as “a stain on our moral conscience,” emphasizing the long-lasting trauma inflicted upon children, often by trusted individuals in environments that should offer safety.
The agency’s findings stress that most childhood sexual violence occurs during adolescence, particularly between the ages of 14 and 17, leading to increased risks of sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, and mental health challenges.
Unicef warns that the consequences worsen when children feel compelled to delay reporting the abuse or remain silent entirely. It calls for enhanced investment in data collection to bridge persistent gaps, especially concerning boys’ experiences.
The agency’s estimates for girls’ and women’s experiences are based on nationally representative surveys from 120 countries conducted between 2010 and 2022, while estimates for boys and men utilize a broader range of data sources and indirect methods.
