Still in the shadows: The global response to sexual violence against children is falling short
18th May 2026By:
Daniela Ligiero Chief Executive Officer & President, Together for Girls
Today, we proudly launched the 2026 Out of the Shadows Index. Researched and developed by Economist Impact, it is the global benchmark of how 60 national governments – home to 83% of the world’s children – are preventing and responding to sexual violence against children and adolescents.
The average score on the Index is just 52.6 out of 100. If this were a school test, governments around the world would be failing at protecting children and adolescents from sexual violence.
The headline is clear: The global response to sexual violence against children is not enough to protect them. We must do more.
The Index assessed whether countries have the foundational laws, policies, and programs in place to keep children and teens safe from sexual violence. The index does not examine how these laws are being implemented or enforced, which is an essential next step after laws are in the books.
I encourage everyone to explore the Out of the Shadows Index to see how your country measures up – and to use the advocacy tools available to push decision-makers to action.
What we looked at
The Index examines 23 indicators across prevention, healing, justice, and governance efforts, creating a shared framework for what constitutes an effective national strategy. These indicators were developed with input from a multi-sector Advisory Group representing diverse geographies and expertise, including academia, the multilateral system, lived experience, and practice-based knowledge — ensuring the Index is both technically robust and grounded in real-world experience.
Overall, the findings suggest that national governments are often more invested in responding to violence than in implementing proven solutions to prevent harm. Although more investment is needed across the board, countries scored worse on prevention efforts (on average 43/100) and governance and accountability (42/100) than on justice (59/100) and healing efforts (57/100).
The findings make clear that far greater attention is needed to prevent violence before it occurs and to build accountable systems capable of sustaining long-term change.
A roadmap for governments, a tool for advocates
By illuminating countries’ gaps in laws, policies and programs – as well as their best practices – the Index serves as a roadmap. Any organization, policymaker or individual activist can look to it as a guide to the investment, policy reform, and programming needed to accelerate progress toward a world where all children and adolescents are safe.
Learn how to use our advocacy toolkit, designed to support those holding world leaders accountable.
Alarming gaps around the world
Some of the most alarming gaps identified in the Index align directly with key advocacy priorities of our Brave Movement — and reveal how far governments still have to go to protect children and adolescents from sexual violence.
Survivor leadership remains largely excluded from formal policymaking. National survivor councils are an important mechanism for ensuring lived experience is meaningfully integrated into policymaking, accountability, and systems reform.
Yet only two of the 60 countries in the Index — Germany and Australia — have established government-supported survivor councils.
Access to justice remains deeply constrained by statutes of limitation for childhood sexual violence. The Index examined criminal statutes of limitation specifically related to sexual violence against children and adolescents.
While some countries have modestly expanded the time survivors have to come forward, the gold standard is abolishing statutes of limitation altogether so survivors can seek justice when they are ready — without arbitrary deadlines or pressure.
Governments and technology systems are failing to keep pace with online threats to children. While 38 countries criminalize the online grooming of children for sexual purposes, protections often remain limited.
In 12 of these countries, the offense only applies where there is an intent to meet in person or if an in-person meeting takes place. And only six countries clearly define the offense in law. Two-thirds of countries do not require Internet Service Providers to report child sexual abuse material to law enforcement.
Closing these systemic gaps could make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of children and adolescents worldwide.
What's next
The Index helps countries see where we are on this issue, shows us what progress looks like, and gives us a roadmap to achieve foundational protections for children globally.
We will continue to build on the momentum of launching this Index. We will use it to push for action leading up to the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in November, and will update it in late 2027 to track progress over time and sustain accountability.
The truth is: We know what works to end sexual violence against children and adolescents. We must continue to push governments to implement these proven solutions – together.