More than 370 million girls and women worldwide were victims of rape or sexual assault as children – UNICEF

NEW YORK, October 10, 2024 – More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, according to new UNICEF estimates released today.

The first-ever global and regional estimates on sexual violence against children – published ahead of the International Day of the Girl – reveal the scale of the violation worldwide, especially for adolescent girls, often with lifelong consequences.

When ‘contactless’ forms of sexual violence, such as online or verbal violence, are included, the number of girls and women affected worldwide rises to 650 million – or 1 in 5, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive prevention and support strategies to effectively tackle all forms tackling violence and abuse.

“Sexual violence against children is a stain on our moral conscience,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “It causes deep and lasting trauma, often at the hands of someone the child knows and trusts, in places where they should feel safe.”

The data shows that sexual violence against children is pervasive and crosses geographic, cultural and economic boundaries. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of victims, with 79 million girls and women affected (22 percent), followed by 75 million in East and Southeast Asia (8 percent), 73 million in Central and South Asia (9 percent). percent). percent), 68 million in Europe and North America (14 percent), 45 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (18 percent), 29 million in North Africa and West Asia (15 percent), and 6 million in Oceania (34 percent).

In fragile environments, such as those with weak institutions, UN peacekeepers or large numbers of refugees fleeing political or security crises, girls are at even greater risk, with rape and sexual assault in childhood reaching just over 1 in 4. .

“Children in vulnerable environments are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence,” says Russell. “We are witnessing horrific sexual violence in conflict zones, where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war.”

According to the data, most childhood sexual violence occurs during adolescence, with a significant peak between the ages of 14 and 17. Research shows that children who experience sexual violence are more likely to experience repeated abuse. Implementing targeted interventions during adolescence is crucial to breaking this cycle and mitigating the long-term effects of such trauma.

Survivors often carry the trauma of sexual violence into adulthood, facing greater risks of sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, social isolation, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as challenges in forming healthy relationships. There is evidence that the impact is compounded when children delay disclosing their experiences, sometimes for extended periods, or keep the abuse secret altogether.

Although more girls and women are affected and their experiences are better documented, boys and men are also affected, the data shows. An estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men – or about 1 in 11 – have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood. This estimate rises to between 410 and 530 million if contactless forms are included.

Persistent data gaps, especially on boys’ experiences and non-contact forms of sexual violence, highlight the need for greater investment in data collection to capture the full extent of sexual violence against children.

As government leaders and civil society, including activists, survivors and youth, prepare to meet at the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Violence against Children in Colombia next month, the data highlights the urgent need for intensified global action to combat child sexual violence. fight and build a safer future for children worldwide by:

• Challenging and changing social and cultural norms that enable sexual violence and prevent children from seeking help.
• Providing every child with accurate, accessible and age-appropriate information that enables them to recognize and report sexual violence.
• Ensure that every child, victim and survivor, has access to services that support justice and healing and reduce the risk of further harm.
• Strengthening laws and regulations to protect children against all forms of sexual violencealso in organizations that work with children, and that invest in the people, resources and systems needed to implement them.
• Building better national data systems to monitor progress and ensure accountability by implementing international standards such as the International Classification of Violence against Children.

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Notes to editors:

Estimates are based on data from a subset of countries, varying by indicator. The most extensive data coverage is on girls’ and women’s experiences of contact sexual violence from nationally representative surveys conducted in 120 countries and territories between 2010 and 2022. Due to existing data gaps, limited coverage and varying scope and quality of available information, global estimates are Non-contact sexual violence and sexual violence against boys and men are based on a wider range of data sources and some indirect methods have been applied.

The list of fragile and conflict-affected situations is released annually by the World Bank Group. See the classification and country list here.

Read the data overview here.

Download multimedia content here.

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