United Nations child welfare agency Unicef warned yesterday that about 120 million girls around the world, close to one in 10, have been raped or sexually assaulted by the time they turn 20 years of age.

Drawing on data from 190 countries, the global report is billed as the largest-ever study of violence against children.

Entitled Hidden in Plain Sight, it also revealed that one fifth of all murder victims are children and teens, with homicide the leading cause of death among male youths in Latin American countries.

“These are uncomfortable facts. No government or parent will want to see them,” said Unicef executive director Anthony Lake.

“But unless we confront the reality each infuriating statistic represents … the life of a child whose right to a safe, protected childhood has been violated … we will never change the mind-set that violence against children is normal and permissible. It is neither.”