This week there were two new reports released confirming the prevalence of sexual violence against children in the world and against women in the USA.
WORLD:
The UNICEF report “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: A statistical analysis of violence against children” found that one in 10 girls worldwide have been forced into a sexual act, and six in 10 children ages 2 to 14 are regularly beaten by parents and caregivers. The report, drawing on data from 190 countries, paints a picture of endemic physical and emotional violence inflicted daily on children, mostly at home and in peacetime rather than on the streets or during war. Homicide is especially common in some of the Latin American countries from which children are fleeing by the tens of thousands into the United States.”
USA:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released results from a 2011 survey. It found 19.3 percent of women have been raped. “Additionally, nearly 2 percent of men have been raped; nearly 44 percent of women and 23 percent of men have experienced some other form of sexual violence; and 15 percent of women and nearly 6 percent have men have been stalked…When it comes to who is committing these acts of violence, 99 percent of female rape victims and the vast majority of male rape victims — almost 80 percent — said they’ve only been raped by men.”
It’s hard for me to comprehend these numbers… but knowing how many of my friends, family, colleagues, former classmates, and activist friends are survivors helps conceptualize them a bit. This is a rampant huge and devastating problem. It’s overwhelming. But at least what each of us can do is to NOT be perpetrators ourselves, mentor youth/children to have empathy and respect for others, and help survivors heal, including ourselves (as relevant).
