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More than 370 million girls and women are alive today – every eighth in the world – suffered rape or sexual violence before they turned 18, the UN children’s agency said.

If forms of sexual violence are included “no contact” such as verbal abuse or online abuse, this figure rises to 650 million, -one out of five-UNICEF reported this in an analysis it called the first global study on the issue.

According to the UNICEF report, these first estimates are published before International Day of the Girl to provide insight into the global impact of these harmful practices.

Most affected regions

According to the data presented in the report, sexual violence is spreading throughout the world. The most affected regions are: Sub-Saharan Africa (79 million girls and women, 22%), East and Southeast Asia (75 million, 8%) and Central and South Asia (68 million, 14%).

IN Europe and North America (68 million, 14%), Latin America and the Caribbean (48 million, 18%) and North Africa and Western Asia (29 million, 15%) and Oceania (6 million, 34%).

According to the report andn “fragile environment”Countries with weak institutions, UN peacekeeping forces, or large numbers of displaced refugees have higher rates of rape or sexual abuse.

childhood

The report also notes that between 240 and 310 million boys and men, or about one out of 11were raped or sexually abused as children.

“It is a stain on our moral conscience.” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, referring to child sexual abuse.

“The scale of this human rights violation is staggering and difficult to fully understand due to stigma, measurement problems and limited investment in data collection,” UNICEF said in releasing the report.

in adolescence

UNICEF noted that most child sexual abuse occurs during adolescence, especially among 14 and 17 years old. Those who suffer from it face an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), substance abuse, and mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.

“The impact is further compounded when children delay disclosing their experiences, sometimes for a long time, or keep the violence a secret”UNICEF reported this.

Given persistent data gaps, the organization stressed the need to increase investment in collecting data that reflects the full scale of the problem, particularly on boys’ experiences.

(according to information from Reuters And Aristegui News)