International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reports that over 370 million minors have experienced sexual violence.
Study reveals alarming global figures of child and adolescent sexual violence. The numbers are alarming, with millions of teenage girls suffering as victims. Boys aren't exempt from this either.
Approximately 370 million girls and women worldwide have experienced sexual assault or abuse before their 18th birthday, according to UN data. This issue is particularly severe in Africa south of the Sahara, where 79 million girls and young people, equating to one in five under 18, have been subjected to sexual violence. The statistics also show 75 million victims in East and Southeast Asia, 73 million in Central and South Asia, and 68 million in Europe and North America.
If we consider "non-contact" forms of sexual violence, such as verbal intimidation, the number of affected girls and women rises to 650 million, as suggested by UNICEF. These figures were released prior to World Children's Day, observed by the UN annually on October 11.
"A blot on our moral record"
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the global extent of sexual violence against teenage girls as "worrying." "Sexual violence against children is a blot on our moral record," Russell added, mentioning the lasting psychological trauma it induces. She also highlighted "severe sexual violence in conflict zones," where it's often used as a "tool of war."
Non-governmental organizations have long warned about the risks faced by women and girls in the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023.
UNICEF's estimates represent the first ever comprehensive global assessment of sexual violence against girls and young women, based on the analysis of national data and international surveys from 2010 to 2022. However, the data is not complete due to missing statistics.
Catastrophic aftermath
For instance, Human Rights Watch reports that most survivors of sexual violence do not seek or desire medical help following incidents, meaning reported cases represent only a small fraction of the actual sexual violence. Claudia Cappa, head of UNICEF's statistics department, accepted the weaknesses in the data but emphasized that the organization aimed to "finally shed light on the issue through data."
Nankali Maksud, UNICEF's representative for violence against children based in Nairobi, Kenya, told AFP news agency that the trauma experienced by victims of sexual violence has far-reaching consequences for their development. "We invest a lot of effort into encouraging girls to attend school, but a girl who has been raped or experienced sexual violence cannot learn," she said.
The alarming figures reveal that children, both girls and boys, are significantly affected by sexual violence. According to UNICEF's representative, the traumatic experiences of sexual violence can hinder a child's ability to learn and develop effectively.
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