Story highlights
NEW: An estimated 340,000 U.S. women are raped or sexually assaulted every year
One in three women worldwide has experienced sexual abuse or violence
Nearly two out of three women in Congo say their first sexual experience was assault
Between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped in Bosnia in the 1990s war
Egypt’s Tahrir Square was supposed to be a scene of celebration on Sunday, as Cairo marked the election of a new president.
But it wasn’t a joyous night for everyone: At least five women were sexually assaulted by mobs in the square, according to Egypt’s campaign group I Saw Harassment.
In India, meanwhile, politicians have downplayed rape, with one recently saying: “Boys will be boys.”
And of course, war has long been connected with the rape of women, men, boys and girls.
Actress and activist Angelina Jolie is lending star power to the “End Sexual Violence in Conflict” conference organized by Britain’s Foreign Office in London this week, highlighting a global problem.
Worldwide: One in three women worldwide has experienced sexual abuse or violence; 150 million girls under the age of 18 have been sexually assaulted. Half were under 16 at the time.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Nearly two out of three women (64%) say their first sexual experience was assault.
Kenya: It’s estimated that one in three women suffered sexual violence in childhood. (One-fifth of men are estimated to have been victims of sexual violence as children.)
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped during the war of 1992-1995.
Burundi: Three out of four men (77%) say some women “ask to be raped” by the way they dress and behave – and 95% of women agree.
Rwanda: An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 women survived rape during the 1994 genocide.
Central African Republic: Just under 10% of women and girls report having been raped.
United States: An estimated 340,000 women are raped or sexually assaulted every year.Eighty-three percent of girls aged 12 to 16 in state-run schools have experienced sexual harassment at school.
Sources: United Nations, Government of Kenya, Tearfund, Association of Widows of Genocide (Rwanda), War Child, U.S. Justice Department,
READ: Mob sex assaults on women overshadow Egyptian inauguration
READ: Grief, fear, blame in Indian village where cousins raped and hanged
