“Violence against children is widespread but not inevitable. Bringing it to an end is a shared responsibility.” UNICEF, “Hidden in Plain Sight” There is a story behind every statistic.

1. “Violence against children is
widespread but not inevitable.
Bringing it to an end is a
shared responsibility.”
UNICEF, Hidden in Plain Sight
There is a story
behind every
statistic.

2. 1 in 10 girls
worldwide have
been forced into a
sexual act, many of
whom were under
the age of 15.

3. When Jamie* was 14, she was raped
repeatedly by two men, then badly
burned when the abusers’ house
caught fire.
IJM Rwanda met Jamie in the
hospital and has been walking with
her since, providing her with therapy
and getting her into a home where
she is studying and learning to walk
on new prosthetic legs.
The men who raped her have been
convicted, and Jamie is safe and
thriving.

4. Victims are much more
likely to turn to
individuals they know
personally for support
rather than to
institutions such as the
police department,
medical facilities, legal
aid, religious groups
and/or social services.

5. Verity’s* mother was devastated
when she discovered that her
husband had been sexually assaulting
their 7-year-old daughter.
She brought Verity to the police and
to the hospital, but it would be six
long months before her husband was
arrested. Her husband fled before
police took any action, then officers
demanded $23 to carry out the
arrest—an impossible amount for a
woman living below the poverty line.
Without the constant advocacy from
IJM Kenya, the father’s eventual
arrest may not have ever happened.

6. In Bolivia, about 1 in
4 girls (15-19 years
old) who were
victimized by sexual
violence were
assaulted by friends
or acquaintances.

7. Earlier this year, 7-year-old
Lana*was sexually assaulted by
a friend’s uncle.
Lana’s 11-year-old brother
heard her terrified screams and
ran for help. With IJM Bolivia’s
strong advocacy, the
perpetrator was sentenced to
20 years in prison—but swift
justice like this is rare.
In Bolivia, criminals who
sexually assault a child are less
likely to go to jail than they are
to die from slipping in the
shower.

8. In Kenya, about 1
in 5 child victims of
sexual violence
suffered the first
incident at school.

9. On a day like so many others, 9-
year-old Nasimiyu* was waiting for
her ride after school. A school
guard noticed the little girl and
asked her to get something from a
storage closet; he then locked the
door and raped her.
When her family started pursuing a
case, the man fled town. Without
IJM Kenya’s relentless
investigative support, police likely
would not have had the resources
to track him down in a town 140
miles away.
Thanks in part to Nasimiyu’s brave
testimony, the man was sentenced
to 20 years in prison earlier this
year.

10. Guatemala had the
highest reported
rate of sexual abuse
by parents—about 1
in 5 child victims
were assaulted by a
father or
stepfather.

11. Iris was 15 years old the first
night her father raped her—the
rest of the family had gone to
church. He worked as a private
security guard and had a gun,
and he threatened her to keep
silent. Iris’ mother finally
discovered the truth when she
realized her young daughter
was pregnant.
IJM Guatemala helped
prosecute the case, and Iris’
father was convicted. Iris lives
with her baby and her mother,
and both have received therapy
from IJM.
“[My daughter] gives me the
strength to go on and I have the
desire to improve my life.” says
Iris.

12. Nearly half of all
adolescent girls
aged 15 to 19 who
reported ever
having experienced
physical and/or
sexual violence
said they never told
anyone about it.