1 In 8 Girls Globally Face Sexual Assault Before Turning 18: UNICEF Data

Recent sexual violence incidents in Bihar and Delhi have once again brought women's safety into focus. In Bihar's Jamui, a teenage girl and a boy were allegedly stopped, assaulted and molested by a group of men while returning from coaching classes on September 19. Police have arrested three people and registered a case under the POCSO Act.

In another recent Bihar case, three men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Khagaria and circulating a video of the incident online.

In Delhi, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir. The incident prompted Lady Shri Ram College for Women, located close to the park, to temporarily suspend physical classes and shift them online, while students demanded stronger security around the campus.

But these incidents also point to a problem that extends well beyond individual cases or countries.

UNICEF's data show that 650 million girls and women alive today, or one in five, experienced sexual violence during childhood.

More than 370 million, or one in eight, experienced rape or sexual assault before turning 18.

Sexual violence is the broader term. It includes contact sexual violence, such as rape and sexual assault, as well as non-contact forms of sexual abuse.

Rape and sexual assault are therefore part of the larger 650 million figure, not an additional 370 million. These 2024 estimates are based on available country-level data and statistical adjustments.

UNICEF also found that among adult women who had experienced contact sexual violence, 42 per cent experienced it for the first time during childhood, based on data from 60 countries.

The numbers vary across regions. Sub-Saharan Africa has an estimated 79 million girls and women who experienced contact sexual violence before age 18.

The figure is 75 million in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia and 73 million in Central and Southern Asia. Together, the two Asian regions account for 40 per cent of the global total.

The risk is also present online. A 2026 UNICEF study, based on research across 21 countries, found that 20 million internet-using children aged 12-17 experienced online sexual exploitation or abuse. The research used data collected during 2020-21 and 2024-25.

The problem is not only about abuse itself but also about protection. UN Women reported in 2025 that 1.8 billion women and girls, or 44 per cent globally, live in countries without specific legal protection against cyber harassment or cyberstalking.