One in eight women have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18, new estimates by United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) show.
This means that more than 370 million girls and women alive today have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18.
According to Unicef, sexual violence against children is pervasive, cutting across geographical, cultural, and economic boundaries.
The 2019 Violence Against Children Survey shows that in Kenya, one in six women (15.6 per cent) experienced childhood sexual violence, with up to 62.6 per cent of them experiencing it multiple times before the age of 18.
Further, up to 19 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old women who experienced sexual violence before age 18, said perpetrators of the first incident of any sexual violence in childhood were schoolmates.
"The data paints a grim reality for many girls in Kenya who are experiencing sexual violence, even within their own schools, communities and online. This is unacceptable,” Unicef Kenya Representative Shaheen Nilofer said.
“We must strengthen an integrated child protection system at the community level, including making sure girls can access support such as clinical and psychosocial services, and a safe reporting mechanism,” Nilofer said.
This comes as Kenya joins the rest of the world to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child. This year’s celebration is being held under the theme, ‘Girls’ vision for the future’ to emphasise on the importance of empowering girls to envision and shape a future where they thrive.
According to the data, most childhood sexual violence occurs during adolescence, with a significant spike between ages 14 and 17.
The report indicates that children who experience sexual violence are more likely to suffer repeated abuse. Unicef has called for the Implementation of targeted interventions during adolescence is crucial to breaking this cycle and mitigating the long-term impacts of such trauma.
According to Unicef Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell, sexual violence against children inflicts deep and lasting trauma, often by someone the child knows and trusts in places where they should feel safe.
“Children in fragile settings are especially vulnerable to sexual violence,” Russell said.
“We are witnessing horrific sexual violence in conflict zones, where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war.”
In fragile settings such as those with weak institutions, UN peacekeeping forces, or large numbers of refugees fleeing due to political or security crises, girls face an even greater risk, with the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in childhood slightly more than one in four, the report says.