The United Nations Children’s Fund called on the need for a proportion of alarming statistics with regard to girls and young women who have suffered due to sexual violence across the globe. UNICEF says one out of eight females has become a victim of rape or sexual violence, while sub-Saharan Africa tops in terms of victims.
In its first global estimate on this critical issue, UNICEF found that an estimated 79 million girls-one in five-in sub-Saharan countries affected by conflict and insecurity have experienced sexual assault or rape before reaching age 18. Nankali Maksud, a child violence specialist with UNICEF in Nairobi, echoed the severity of the situation “It’s terrifying. It is generations of trauma.” She further highlighted that survivors of such trauma often have problems with their academic pursuits.
The UNICEF estimates that worldwide sexual violence, 370 million girls and young women, an estimated one in eight-have been victims of sexual violence. The figure rises to 650 million, one in five, if “non-contact” forms of sexual violence, including online harassment and verbal abuse, are included.
This report also mentioned that between 240 million and 310 million boys and men, or about one in every 11, have been raped or sexually assaulted in their childhood, though girls and women are disproportionately affected.
The head of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, also condemned the prevalence of sexual violence against children as “a stain on our moral conscience.” She said: “Sexual violence leaves deep and lasting scars in the lives of victims. In many cases, this abuse comes from a familiar or trusted figure that happens in places that should supposedly serve as sanctuaries of safety.
The data reveals that the “fragile settings”-that is, marked by weak institutional capacity, UN peacekeeping operations, or large refugees-display the highest prevalence of sexual violence. The first author, Russell, explained that “We’re seeing horrific sexual violence in conflict zones where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war.
The report, however, underlines that sexual violence against children cuts across the geographical, cultural, and economic divide. Sub-Saharan Africa leads with 79 million victims, followed by 75 million in Eastern and Southeastern Asia, 73 million in Central and Southern Asia, 68 million in Europe and Northern America, 45 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, 29 million in Northern Africa and Western Asia, and 6 million in Oceania.
According to Claudia Cappa, the chief statistician at UNICEF, this was a groundbreaking report based on national data and international surveys between 2010 and 2022. She did acknowledge, though, that data limitations and underreporting from some regions exist, and for any really effective strategy against this problem, more comprehensive data collection needs to take place.
