(P.S: This short story introduces the grim and dark force that our main character is going to face)
In a quiet classroom somewhere in the world, twenty children sit at their desks, laughing and dreaming about the future. Yet statistically, several of them carry hidden stories of sexual violence. Around 650 million girls and women alive today, about one in five, were subjected to sexual violence as children, including over 370 million who experienced rape or sexual assault. Each figure represents a childhood disrupted and a trust broken, turning what should have been years of safety into years marked by fear and silence.
Boys, too, bear a profound and often overlooked burden. Between 410 and 530 million boys and men, roughly one in seven, experienced sexual violence in childhood, with 240 to 310 million having been raped or sexually assaulted. Many suffer quietly due to stigma and expectations around masculinity, carrying pain that can surface later as anger, depression, or isolation. In conflict zones, the crisis intensifies. Verified cases of sexual violence against children reached a record high in 2024 and 2025, with over 1,938 cases reported in 2024 alone, a 50 percent increase in five years. War weakens protections, displaces families, and leaves children especially vulnerable.
The numbers are overwhelming, but they are not just statistics. They represent real children whose lives were altered in moments of betrayal. Addressing this crisis requires more than awareness. It calls for prevention, stronger legal protections, accessible support systems, and communities willing to listen and believe survivors. When we picture that classroom again, the urgency becomes clear. Every child deserves a future shaped by safety, dignity, and hope, not by harm hidden behind silence.