More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. When ‘non-contact’ forms of sexual violence, such as online or verbal abuse, are included, the number of girls and women affected rises to 650 million globally – or 1 in 5. Although more girls and women are affected, and their experiences are better documented, boys and men are also impacted. An estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men – or around 1 in 11 – have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood. This estimate rises to between 410 and 530 million when non-contact forms are included.

With numbers comes responsibility. While intensified efforts are needed to strengthen the availability of reliable and comprehensive statistics, the estimates presented in this publication are a wake-up call. When victims are counted, they are no longer invisible, and the promise of protection becomes a real possibility.