One in 8 girls and women raped or sexually assaulted before age 18, UNICEF says

UNITED NATIONS — 

More than 370 cardinal girls and women live today, oregon 1 successful each 8 worldwide, experienced rape oregon intersexual battle earlier the property of 18, the United Nations children's bureau said Wednesday.

The fig rises to 650 million, oregon 1 successful five, erstwhile taking into relationship "non-contact" forms of intersexual violence, specified arsenic online oregon verbal abuse, UNICEF reported, successful what it called the archetypal planetary survey of the problem.

The study said that portion girls and women were worst affected, 240 cardinal to 310 cardinal boys and men, oregon astir 1 successful 11, person experienced rape oregon intersexual battle during childhood.

"The standard of this quality rights usurpation is overwhelming, and it's been hard to afloat grasp due to the fact that of stigma, challenges successful measurement, and constricted concern successful information collection," UNICEF said successful releasing the report.

It comes up of an inaugural Global Ministerial Conference connected Ending Violence Against Children successful Colombia adjacent month.

UNICEF said its findings item the urgent request for intensified planetary action, including by strengthening laws and helping children admit and study intersexual violence.

UNICEF said intersexual unit cuts crossed geographical, cultural, and economical boundaries, but sub-Saharan Africa has the highest fig of victims, with 79 cardinal girls and women, oregon 22% affected. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia travel with 75 million, oregon 8%.

In its information for women and girls, UNICEF estimated 73 million, oregon 9%, were affected successful Central and Southern Asia; 68 million, oregon 14%, successful Europe and Northern America; 45 million, oregon 18%, successful Latin America and the Caribbean, and 29 million, oregon 15%, successful Northern Africa and Western Asia.

Oceania, with 6 million, had the highest fig affected by percentage, astatine 34%.

Risks were higher, rising to 1 successful 4, successful "fragile settings," including those with anemic institutions, U.N. peacekeeping forces, oregon ample numbers of refugees, the study found.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called intersexual unit against children "a stain connected our motivation conscience."

"It inflicts heavy and lasting trauma, often by idiosyncratic the kid knows and trusts, successful places wherever they should consciousness safe."

UNICEF said astir puerility intersexual unit occurs during adolescence, particularly betwixt ages 14 and 17, and those who endure it look higher risks of sexually transmitted diseases, substance maltreatment and intelligence wellness issues.

"(T)he interaction is further compounded erstwhile children hold disclosing their experiences ... oregon support the maltreatment concealed altogether," UNICEF said.

It said accrued concern successful information postulation was needed to seizure the afloat standard the problem, fixed persistent information gaps, peculiarly connected boys’ experiences.

UNICEF said it based its estimates of girls' and women’s experiences connected nationally typical surveys conducted betwixt 2010 and 2022 successful 120 countries and areas. It said estimates for boys and men were derived from a broader scope of information sources and applied immoderate indirect methods.