"Sexual violence against children is a stain on our moral conscience," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "It inflicts deep and lasting trauma, often by someone the child knows and trusts, in places where they should feel safe."
UNICEF's report also highlighted the issue of what is called "non-contact" forms of sexual violence, which includes online and verbal abuse. When this kind of violence is taken into account, the number of girls affected rises to 650 million, or one in five.
Boys also targeted
The report found that the issue cuts across all geographic, economic, and cultural boundaries. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest number of victims with 79 million girls affected, followed by 75 million in East and Southeast Asia, and then 68 million in Europe and North America.
Sexual violence is particularly high, the study said, in areas where security is fragile.
Boys are also targeted, UNICEF reported. About one in 11, or between 240 million to 310 million, boys experience rape or sexual assault during their childhood.
