More than 370 million girls and women around the world have fallen victim to rape or sexual assault before they turned 18, according to a new report.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a global humanitarian aid organization, recently released estimates on sexual violence against children. The study marked the first-ever global and regional estimates of sex-related crimes against children, especially adolescent girls.
That study found that 1 in 8 girls and women experienced rape or sexual assault in their childhood. That only accounts for "any contact" assault. Researchers estimated that 280 million girls and women were subjected to "non-contact" forms of sexual violence in their childhood, which accounts for verbal or online abuse.
In total, 650 million girls and adult women have been subjected to sexual violence as children, the report noted. Most of the sexual violence occurred in females aged 14 and 17.
Where Sexual Violence Against Women Was Highest
The UNICEF study said sexual violence against girls and women was pervasive across all locations. However, Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest number of sexual violence victims. At least 79 million girls fell victim in the region.
This was followed by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, with 75 million sexual violence victims; Central and Southern Asia, with 73 million; Europe and North America, 68 million; Latin America and the Caribbean, 45 million; Northern Africa and Western Asia; 29 million; and Oceania, with 6 million.
Children living in "fragile settings" such as conflict zones or places with large numbers of refugees were at higher risk of falling victim to sexual violence.
"Sexual violence against children is a stain on our moral conscience. It inflicts deep and lasting trauma, often by someone the child knows and trusts, in places where they should feel safe," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.
Boys Also Fell Victim to Sexual Violence
Boys and adult men also experienced sexual violence before they turned 18. Worldwide, between 410 and 530 million, or 1 in 7, boys and men were subjected to different forms of sexual violence in their childhood.
Specifically, between 240 to 310 boys and men experienced rape or sexual assault in their childhood. Meanwhile, 170 to 220 million were subjected to verbal or online abuse.
