BLOG POST
International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for gender equality and the urgent need to protect the rights of women and girls worldwide. It is a day to reflect on the challenges that women and girls face every day, especially the pervasive and alarming issue of sexual violence.
Sexual violence remains a global issue with devastating impacts for individuals, their families, and entire communities. While sexual violence affects all genders, women and girls continue to be at disproportionate risk of being subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation. Globally, 1 in 5 girls and women have been subjected to childhood sexual violence.[1] Furthermore, nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15 to 19 years old, and 1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.[2]
The gendered dimension of child sexual abuse and exploitation
At Protect Children, we acknowledge that sexual violence against children is not gender-neutral. Our research has revealed the unique ways in which girls are specifically targeted and impacted by child sexual abuse and exploitation.
In our Project 2KNOW, we found that girls aged 11 to 17 years old are at increased risks of being subjected to crimes related to child sexual abuse material.[3] Particularly, almost 80% of anonymous child sexual abuse material offenders reported they search for child sexual abuse material depicting girls, while slightly over 20% reported searching for such material depicting boys.[4]
All these figures are a reflection of broader societal factors rooted in patriarchal structures that perpetuate not only gender inequality and discrimination, but more specifically it normalises the objectification and sexualisation of girls, and the rape culture.
This culture of violence reinforces the interconnection between different forms of gender-based violence. According to UNICEF, violence against children and violence against women coexist and intersect in multiple ways, both having devastating and long-lasting impacts for children and women, affecting their mental, physical, and sexual and reproductive health.[5]
Intersecting forms of discrimination and oppressions
While societal factors and gender dynamics increase risks faced by all girls, it is fundamental to acknowledge and understand the intersectionality of these vulnerabilities. There are intersecting discriminations and oppressions based on different grounds including gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, and disability, that create heightened risks for certain group of girls to fall victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.[6]
In addition to further exacerbating the risks of falling victim to childhood sexual violence, systemic and structural discriminations often contribute to significant barriers in accessing adequate protection, support, and justice.
Lack of adequate support for victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence
Victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence worldwide have shared their experiences through the Global Our Voice Survivor Survey, revealing the profound and long-lasting impact of such violence, and limited support hindering their path to healing and recovery.[7] One survivor disclosed: “I was slightly disabled as a child, the problem as that I did not understand soon enough that I had become victim of a crime.”. When asked what could have helped them disclose the sexual violence sooner, another survivor disclosed: “More knowledge of what child sexual abuse was. I knew it was wrong but it was not talked about.”
These testimonies highlight a reality reported by many survivors, which is the critical gap in existing mechanisms designed not only to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation, but also to adequately support all victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence.
A call to action: a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach
On International Women’s Day, we strongly advocate for the importance of taking a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to preventing sexual violence against children. This means:
Challenging systems and structures that enable sexual violence against girls, including gender-stereotypes and intersecting forms of discrimination.
Developing stronger, inclusive, survivor-centered mechanisms that ensure that all victims and survivors of childhood sexual violence and their families, receive the support, recognition, and justice they deserve.
Every girl, and all children, have the right to live a childhood free of violence, and where their human rights are fully protected and respected. We need to work together to prevent and end child sexual abuse and exploitation, and we need to start with listening to victims and survivors and advocating for urgent action.
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[1] UNICEF Data (2024). "Sexual violence". https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/violence/sexual-violence/
[2] World Health Organization (2021). "Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2028: global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional prevalence estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women". https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240022256
[3] Insoll, T., Díaz Bethencourt, E., Ovaska, A., Lahtinen, H.-M., & Vaaranen-Valkonen, N. (2024). “Knowledge to Prevent Online Sexual Violence Against Children: Insights from a Survey of Child Sexual Abuse Material Offenders”. https://www.suojellaanlapsia.fi/en/post/2know-preliminary-findings-report-2.
[4] Ibid.
[5] UNICEF Innocenti (2024). "Violence Against Children and Violence Against Women Infographic". https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/media/10556/file/UNICEF-Innocenti-violence-against-children-women-infographic.pdf.
[6] WeProtect Global Alliance. (2023). “Global Threat Assessment 2023: Assessing the scale and scope of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, to transform the response”. https://www.weprotect.org/wp-content/uploads/Global-Threat-Assessment-2023-English.pdf; Capaldi, M., Schatz, J., Kavenagh, M. (2024). "Child sexual abuse/exploitation and LGBTQI+ children: Context, links, vulnerabilities, gaps, challenges and priorities.”. ScienceDirect, Child Protection and Practice, Volume 1, April 2024, 100001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chipro.2024.100001.
[7] Díaz Bethencourt, E., Insoll, T., Ovaska, A., Leivo, K., Soloveva, V. & VaaranenValkonen, N. 2024. “Global Our Voice Survivor Survey: Experiences of Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Across 29 Languages.” Protect Children. https://www.suojellaanlapsia.fi/en/post/our-voice-global-report.