Washington: Around 120 million girls around the world, close to one in 10, have been raped or sexually assaulted by the time they turn 20, a new UN report has found. In a global study of violence against children, the child welfare agency Unicef reveals that one fifth of all murder victims are children and adolescents under age 20. Homicide is the leading cause of death among boys and young men aged 10 to 19 in Latin American countries including Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Brazil. Unicef says the study entitled “Hidden in Plain Sight” is the largest ever study of violence against children, drawing on data from 190 countries.
“Unless we confront the reality each infuriating statistic represents the life of a child whose right to a safe, protected childhood has been violated we will never change the mindset that violence against children is normal and permissible. It is neither,” said Unicef executive director Anthony Lake. Other abuses include bullying, which regularly affected more than one in three schoolchildren aged 13 to 15 worldwide. The UN report also tackles the mindsets it says perpetuate and justify such violence.
