The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has issued a new report documenting widespread violence and abuse of girls in nearly every country of the world.
Globally, 120 million girls have experienced some form of sexual violence by the age of 20. One in four girls ages 15 to 19 have experienced physical violence, primarily at the hands of an intimate partner or other male relative. Approximately 60% of all children ages 2 to 14 are “regularly beaten by parents and caregivers.” Additionally, fifty percent of girls over age 15 believe a husband may beat his wife. The report found that domestic violence against women and girls increases significantly during periods of armed conflict or other crises that cause widespread hardship or displacement of people.
The report gathered data on interpersonal violence in 190 countries and according to UNICEF, “represents the largest compilation of statistics to date on violence against children.”
Compiled from: One in 10 girls worldwide forced into a sexual act – Unicef, ‘Physical and emotional violence inflicted daily on children, mostly at home,’ The Irish Times (September 5, 2014); One in 10 girls sexually abused, says UN report, BBC News (September 5, 2014); “Hidden in Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children,” UNICEF (September 2014).