Q&A: Nearly half of sexual abuse globally first happens at age 15 or younger

A new study from IHME comprehensively assesses the prevalence of sexual violence against children by age, sex, location, and year, providing the crucial information needed to track progress on Sustainable Development Goal 16, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against children. 

Study authors also looked at the age at which young survivors first experienced sexual violence, which identifies key windows for intervention to try to prevent violence from ever happening in a person’s life. Jack Cagney, Post-Bachelor Fellow at IHME and co-author of the study, expands on findings from this research.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity

What is important about the new research?

This is the first study to comprehensively assess the prevalence of sexual violence against children by age, sex, location, and year, providing the crucial information needed to track progress on Sustainable Development Goal 16, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against children. We also looked at the age at which young survivors first experienced sexual violence, which identifies key windows for intervention to try to prevent violence from ever happening in a person’s life.

We found that the prevalence of sexual violence during childhood is far above international zero target goals, and that violence often starts early in life, highlighting the urgent need to protect children and support survivors.

What are the key findings from the new research?

Sexual violence against children is a global issue that affects people in all countries and territories. On average, the prevalence is higher among females. We found that around 19% of adult women globally have experienced sexual violence during childhood. But as we can see in this map, prevalence varies significantly across countries and world regions. As for males, again, we find a high prevalence, with about 15% of adult men reporting sexual violence during childhood, with similar variations across geographies. But of course, a lot of these differences could be driven by differences in underlying data.

We also found that most instances of sexual violence among young adults first occurred before the age of 18, emphasizing the importance of starting violence prevention programs early and well before adulthood.

However, underreporting remains a major challenge. Shame, stigma, and fear continue to prevent many survivors from disclosing their experience and seeking help. Breaking down these barriers must be a central focus of both prevention and advocacy efforts, with a commitment to fostering a more supportive environment that allows survivors to disclose in a way that makes them feel safe, respected, and empowered.

What challenges did researchers face in doing this work?

Generally, the biggest challenges we face are a lack of data. There aren’t a lot of routine surveys that assess the prevalence of violence against children, which limits our ability to track progress over time. And even within the surveys that exist, the questions used to define sexual violence against children are quite diverse, given that definitions, laws, and

policies can vary from place to place. This is becoming even more challenging as we start to consider new and emerging forms of violence, such as online exploitation and technology-facilitated violence, which are only now starting to appear in the literature.

As we see in these charts, we have good data coverage within our female models. But there are notable data gaps, particularly in North Africa, in the Middle East. As for males, there are even fewer data points. Across both sexes, we do not identify any usable data in 63 countries or territories for either analysis.

In the instance that we cannot find a usable data source for a country, we leverage methods from the Global Burden of Disease study to make our best estimate, based on information that is available from either countries that are geographically nearby or epidemiologically similar.

These maps show that there are a lot of data sources available for both males and females that are recent, which is important to understanding current patterns and trends in sexual violence against children. However, it also highlights the need to continue conducting representative surveys so that we can track progress over time and understand how these patterns change.

How does sexual violence against children impact victims through their lives?

The impacts of sexual violence during childhood are far-reaching and long-lasting. Survivors have a higher risk of various physical, mental, and behavioral health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, even asthma. Being subjected to sexual violence during childhood can also impact a person’s social development, educational attainment, and economic achievements. These consequences are compounding, too, and they can continue to harm survivors throughout their lifespan, especially if they’re not getting the support and services that they need.

These effects can then be intergenerational, as experiencing violence during childhood is a risk for future perpetration and re-victimization, which can create a new cycle of violence.

What needs to be done to address this problem?

Sexual violence against children is a widespread health and human rights issue. Given its high prevalence, as well as its adverse effects on health and development, there is an urgent need for effective prevention measures and robust support systems. Children, first and foremost, need to be protected. This includes teaching kids about their rights, boundary setting, and how to ask for help if they ever feel unsafe.

And it also includes making sure that parents, teachers, and community leaders know the signs of abuse and how to step in if something seems wrong. We also need to support survivors. Survivors need strong, trauma-informed support systems. They need access to medical care, counseling, legal aid, and safe spaces where they can start to heal. And, above all, we need action from all countries to create a safe, violence-free world.

And we saw this recently with the first ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children. Continuing collective and coordinated efforts such as these are vital to global child protection.