A UNICEF research released on Wednesday states that one in eight girls and women globally, or over 370 million, have been sexually assaulted or raped before turning eighteen.
The figure increases to 650 million, or one in five, when “non-contact” types of sexual violence including verbal or online abuse are taken into account. It is said that this research is the first worldwide survey on the subject.
Although women and girls are the most impacted, the survey also predicts that one in eleven boys and men, or between 240 and 310 million, experienced sexual assault or rape as children. UNICEF highlighted the massive scope of this human rights violation, which is challenging to fully comprehend because of measurement issues, stigma, and inadequate data collecting.
