2026 Out of the Shadows Index

Every child has the right to grow up safe. Yet, sexual violence against children remains an urgent threat to children’s safety globally: 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys will experience sexual violence before the age of 18. Despite the scale of the crisis, countries are falling dangerously short in protecting children. According to the Out of the Shadows Index, 60 countries score an average of 52.6 out of 100 for their efforts preventing and responding to sexual violence against children and adolescents – a failing grade when it comes to keeping them safe.

The Index finds:

* Legal systems need to be more responsive to the realities of what children face.

* Countries that protect civil liberties and sign onto international commitments perform better on the Index.

* Wealth alone does not determine Index scores. 45% of the top scoring 20 countries on the Index are middle-income countries. All governments can make meaningful progress if they make child protection a priority.

* National governments are more invested in responding to violence, than using proven solutions to protect children from harm in the first place. More investment is needed full stop.

Despite its scale and these results, sexual violence against children is preventable, and we know what works. Now we need governments to act. This global benchmark assesses how 60 countries – home to 83% of the world’s children – are preventing and responding to sexual violence against children and adolescents. Researched and developed by Economist Impact, the Index doesn’t measure the prevalence of violence – rather, it evaluates countries on whether they have the minimum laws, policies, programs, and services governments need to end childhood sexual violence across four areas: Governance and accountability, prevention, healing, and justice.

What is the Index?

The Out of the Shadows Index measures global and country-level efforts to address sexual violence against children and adolescents. It covers 60 countries – home to 83% of the world’s children – and ranks them across four pillars through 23 indicators. The indicators assess the foundational laws, policies, programs, and services that a country should have in place to end this sexual violence. Together for Girls leads advocacy efforts for the Index, which was researched and developed by Economist Impact.

How is it used?

Activists, civil society, advocates, and policymakers worldwide use the Index to drive government accountability and action.