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AROUND THE WORLD, CLOSE TO 90 MILLION BOYS AND GIRLS ALIVE TODAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VIOLENCE. MORE THAN A BILLION WOMEN AND MEN WERE SUBJECTED TO SUCH VIOLENCE IN CHILDHOOD.

The scale of this human rights violation is abhorrent in its magnitude, and has long been difficult to quantify, due to stigma, measurement challenges and limited investments in data collection.

This publication presents the first-ever global and regional estimates of the number of children and adults who have lived through experiences like those of Analyn, Angely, Brittany, Kamran, Liza, Salay, Sam and Xume. It narrates through numbers the tragic reality of sexual violence, amplifying victims’ voices.

While this quantification exercise represents an important step, it is not without its flaws. One of the limitations inherent in any attempt to document violence against children is what it leaves out: the presumably large numbers of children unable or unwilling to report their experiences. This report also suffers from that constraint, but the story it does tell is motivation enough to spur a response: If even one child is harmed through an act of violence, it is one child too many.

The process of understanding and addressing sexual violence against children will continue to be ridden with stumbling blocks. Nevertheless, it is clear that systematic investments in data generation are vital. The fact that many countries still lack basic data demonstrates that sexual violence against children has rarely received the same priority as other issues on which statistics are regularly generated by governments. Future efforts should focus not only on documenting the prevalence of sexual violence among all children and in all its forms, but also on exploring the underlying factors that fuel it. Monitoring and evaluating interventions aimed at preventing and responding to sexual violence are also essential. Broad dissemination of data in accessible formats will continue to be needed to raise awareness and to foster the political will required to develop and implement effective strategies and action – at all levels of society.

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