Kehinde Fajobi
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most dangerous regions for girls globally, according to a new report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
In the report, shared via UNICEF’s X handle on Thursday, the region tops the list with 79 million girls and women affected by sexual violence—22 per cent of the global total. It is followed by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 75 million victims (8 per cent), Central and Southern Asia with 73 million (9 per cent), Europe and Northern America with 68 million (14 per cent), and Latin America and the Caribbean with 45 million (18 per cent). Northern Africa and Western Asia account for 29 million cases (15 per cent), while Oceania records 6 million (34 per cent).
UNICEF estimates that globally, 370 million girls and women have experienced sexual violence, with around one in five girls in Sub-Saharan Africa suffering abuse before the age of 18.
“Sexual violence against children is a stain on our moral conscience,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
The data, gathered from national statistics and international surveys between 2010 and 2022, aims to shed light on the crisis, though gaps and underreporting remain challenges.
Nankali Maksud, a UNICEF regional child violence specialist based in Nairobi, highlighted the long-lasting effects of abuse.
“It is generations of trauma,” she said, adding that the trauma significantly disrupts development efforts, particularly in education.
“We’re pushing to get girls into school, but a girl who has been raped or assaulted struggles to learn.”
Conflict-affected regions like Sudan are seeing the highest rates of sexual violence, with aid agencies warning of increased risks to women and girls due to ongoing instability.