Stronger Legal Frameworks Are Linked to Lower Sexual Violence Against Children

Our new paper, "Cross-Sectional Analysis of Contextual Factors Associated With Sexual Violence Against Children and Youth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, examines how national child protection systems and community norms relate to the prevalence of childhood sexual violence in seven low- and middle-income countries. ‍ ‍

What we did

We combined two powerful data sources:‍ VACS data from 7 countries (Cambodia, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Kenya, Mozambique, and Nigeria) and the Out of the Shadows Index (OOSI), developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit with Together for Girls, which benchmarks how national governments prioritize the prevention of and response to child sexual abuse and exploitation across domains such as legal frameworks, government commitment and capacity, and societal engagement.‍ This pairing let us ask something new: after accounting for individual, relationship, and household factors, do community norms and national child protection environments help explain differences in children's experiences of sexual violence?

Stronger legal protection environments are associated with lower prevalence of childhood sexual violence. Countries scoring higher on the OOSI's legal framework domain showed lower prevalence of sexual violence against boys and girls. This is consistent with a growing body of evidence that laws and policies — comprehensive legal protections, criminalization of abuse, national action plans — are not just symbolic. They form part of the protective fabric around children.

Community norms toward gender and violence matter. Living in a community with higher collective acceptance of harmful gender norms was associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing sexual violence against children. Harmful norms about violence against women and violence against children are intertwined — and prevention efforts should treat them that way.‍ ‍ ‍

Why this is timely: the Out of the Shadows Index relaunch

‍The recent relaunch of the Out of the Shadows Index tracks 60 countries across 6 regions — home to 83% of the world's children — using a revamped framework organized around four pillars: governance and accountability, prevention, healing, and justice. The average country score is just 52.6 out of 100, no country scores above 83, and only 2 of 60 countries have established National Survivor Councils to integrate lived experience into policy.‍ You can explore the data yourself through the Index's data explorer, or read more background from Together for Girls.

Sexual violence against children doesn't happen in a vacuum. It is shaped by the policy contexts, legal protections, and social norms that exist in communities. Our findings add to the case that national policies, legal protections, and social norms change are essential — and measurable — components of prevention.

The full paper is available at the Journal of Interpersonal Violence: doi.org/10.1177/08862605261444006.

This post discusses sexual violence against children. If you or someone you know needs support, Together for Girls maintains a directory of help for survivors and victims by country.