Over 370 Million Girls Under 18 Have Experienced Sexual Violence: UNICEF

One in every eight girls and one in eleven boys worldwide have experienced sexual violence. This information is highlighted in a report by UNICEF, according to RTVI.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund report, over 370 million girls under 18 have been subjected to sexual violence. Considering non-contact forms of violence, including online and verbal abuse, this number could reach 650 million, UNICEF stated.

The document notes that 240 to 310 million adolescent boys have also experienced sexual violence.

UNICEF emphasizes that the scale of the problem is not confined to any specific geographical area, but notes that most victims of violence live in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 79 million or 22% of girls in that region. This is followed by countries in Southeast Asia (75 million; 8%).

In Central and South Asia, 73 million girls have been affected (9%); 68 million in Europe and North America (14%); 45 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (18%); 29 million in North Africa and Western Asia (15%); and 6 million in Oceania (34%), the report says.