New Delhi:
According to an analysis published in the Lancet Journal, more than 30 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys in India experienced sexual violence before the age of 18 in 2023.
Estimating the prevalence of sexual violence against children in more than 200 countries between 1990 and 2023, the study found that the highest rate for girls was recorded in South Asia – from 9.3 percent to 9.3 percent in Bangladesh to 30.8 percent in India.
Worldwide, one in five girls and one in seven boys are expected to experience sexual violence before the age of 18 years.
Researchers including Institute for Health Matrix and Evolution, University of Washington, US also found that sub-Sahara Africa had the highest rate of sexual violence among boys under 18 years of age, which ranged from about eight percent to about eight percent to 28 percent in Cota de Evoire in Zimbabwe.
Sexual violence against children is an important public health and human rights issue. The results of sexual abuse affect someone’s long -term health by increasing their risk of mental health status.
Researchers stated that accurate global estimates of sexual violence are important for targeted prevention and advocacy efforts.
However, existing studies present estimates to limited number of countries and are interrupted by the challenges of data breaks and measurements, they said.
This study – one of the first to provide global estimates – reviewed the publicly available repository for data on the spread of sexual violence against children.
“We guess that the global age of SVAC (sexual violence against children) was 18.9 percent for women and 14.8 percent for men in 2023,” authors wrote.
The team also said that before the age of 18, sexual violence between teenagers and young adults took place for about 70 percent of the world’s men and women.
The authors also found “frequent data gaps”, for which they emphasized extended surveys and monitoring programs.
He also asked for more services and systems to support the rest of the sexual violence for the rest of his life and to support childhood free from sexual violence.
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