India, May 12 -- A study published in The Lancet has found that nearly a third of girls and a seventh of boys (under-18 individuals in the case of both sexes) in India have suffered sexual violence (unwanted physical sexual acts). This is much higher than the global average of 19% for girls and 15% for boys though it isn't very different from many high-income countries such as the US, France, Australia, and Norway. Read along with the fact that many other jurisdictions with less strident societal and governance frameworks to protect children - some of them conflict zones reporting crises of child trafficking - throw up lower prevalence, this could also indicate robust reporting in India.

India's legal protections and remedies concerning ...