Taiwan Teenagers Susceptible to Sexual AbuseTeenage girls in Taiwan are the most susceptible to sexual abuse and exploitation among all demographic groups, according to a Taiwanese newspapers.More than 10,000 babies per year are born to women under the age of 18 in Taiwan and over half of all reported sexual abuse cases involve girls between the age of 12 and 17, Tuesday's Taiwan News reported. The English newspaper cited a study released by a women rights organization, the Garden of Hope Foundation, as saying that five out of 10 victims of sexual assault in the three successive years from 1997 are girls aged between 12 and 17. The study found that 54.15 percent of the 2,179 sexual assault victims reported last year were girls of the age group and over three quarters of the victims were attacked by acquaintances, including friends and family members. The foundation blamed the increasing commercial exploitation of young girls for creating the misconception that women's bodies can easily be sold. Other surveys showed that about 25 percent of youngsters have had premarital sex and 50 percent to 60 percent of them never or rarely use contraception. |
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