UNICEF: Over 79 Million Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa Have Experienced Sexual Violence

In a statement released on Thursday (October 10), the agency described the region as "the worst place in the world for girls."

According to UNICEF's findings, one in five girls in Sub-Saharan Africa has faced sexual violence before the age of 18. Globally, sexual violence has affected 370 million women and girls.

Claudia Cappa, UNICEF's chief of statistics, stated that these figures were obtained using data collected between 2010 and 2022 and that the actual numbers may be higher.

She added that due to the lack of complete data collection, cases of sexual abuse and assault are underreported.

Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF, described this violence as "a stain on the human conscience," while Nanjala Maxood, a regional expert on violence against children, called the statistics "horrifying" and emphasized that sexual violence hinders girls' development.