One in eight girls has been sexually assaulted or raped before the age of 18, according to Unicef ​​Global Development

Today, more than 370 million women and girls – or nearly one in eight – experienced rape or sexual assault before they turned 18, according to the first global estimates of the problem.

A new Unicef ​​report describes sexual violence against children as an “overwhelming” human rights violation, with survivors carrying the trauma into adulthood. The extent of the violation was “abhorrent in its scope.”

If “non-contact” forms of sexual violence are also taken into account, such as unwanted sexual jokes or comments, exposure to pornography or exposure of sexual organs, the rate rises to a fifth, researchers found.

The agency said that while girls and women were most affected, about one in 11 boys or men also experienced rape or sexual assault in their childhood.

Unicef ​​chief executive Catherine Russell said: “Sexual violence against children is a stain on our moral conscience. 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 report includes anonymized stories of individual cases, including 12-year-old Analyn, who was rescued from her home in the Philippines and placed in government shelter. At the age of 10, she took part in a livestreaming of child sexual abuse after a neighbor approached her and offered her money.

Xume, a 15-year-old shepherd from a village in Ethiopia, was ostracized from her community after being raped. She said: “The cows died because of the drought, but people said it was my fault because I was a bad person. This was because I was raped and didn’t tell anyone out of shame and fear.

“But when it was discovered that I was pregnant, I was expelled from the community and accused of killing the cows.”

Most childhood sexual violence was perpetrated on teenagers, with a particular increase between the ages of 14 and 17. The most likely perpetrators are family, friends or intimate partners.

Russell said children in fragile environments, such as those with weak institutions, U.N. peacekeepers or large numbers of refugees, were particularly at risk. In these areas, one in four girls has been raped or sexually abused.

“We are witnessing horrific sexual violence in conflict zones, where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war,” she said.

According to the report, sexual violence against children occurred in all regions of the world. The highest rate was in Oceania, where 34% of women – or 6 million people – were victims. The highest numbers were in sub-Saharan Africa, where 79 million women and girls, or 22%, were affected.

However, Unicef ​​said caution should be used when comparing between regions due to factors such as varying levels of under-reporting and societal and cultural norms.

In 2015, the global community committed to ending all forms of violence against children by 2030 as one of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report comes ahead of the first global ministerial conference on ending violence against children in Colombia in November.

Unicef ​​said it had been difficult to measure the extent of sexual violence against children “due to stigma, challenges in measurement and limited investment in data collection”. This is particularly true when looking at boys’ experiences and contactless forms, the UN agency said.

But it said that “since the early 2000s, the widespread boom in access to the Internet and use of digital and mobile technology on a global scale has created new forms of sexual abuse and exploitation.”

The report is based on surveys conducted in 120 countries and territories between 2010 and 2022, while estimates for boys and men and non-contact sexual violence were “based on a broader range of data sources and used some indirect methods.”