A report by UNICEF released on Thursday says more than 79 million women and girls across sub-Saharan Africa have experienced rape or sexual assault during childhood.

According to the report, the region ranks among the most dangerous places globally for girls.

It estimated that worldwide, around 370 million girls and women have endured sexual violence, with approximately one in five in sub-Saharan Africa suffering abuse before the age of 18.

The UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, explained that sexual violence against children is a stain on their moral conscience.

Claudia Cappa, UNICEF’s chief statistician, explained that the new data, presented for the first time, was compiled from national statistics and international surveys conducted between 2010 and 2022, saying that despite inevitable gaps and underreporting, the figures aim to bring visibility to the scale of the crisis.

Nankali Maksud, a regional child violence specialist based in Nairobi said, “It’s terrifying, it is generations of trauma, the far-reaching impacts of the abuse.”

She stated that the trauma endured by survivors has significant consequences on development efforts, especially education, saying that they are pushing to get girls into school, but a girl who has been raped or assaulted struggles to learn.

Aid agencies have raised alarms about the heightened risks for women and girls due to ongoing conflicts, adding that the regions are facing conflict and insecurity, such as Sudan, see the highest rates of sexual violence.

The report explained that children in fragile settings are especially vulnerable to sexual violence, stressing that in conflict zones, sexual violence, including rape, is often used as a weapon of war, further compounding the trauma.