Wellington, Oct 24 : A new study has shown that one in four New Zealand women are sexually abused as children.
The study, by the University of Auckland, revealed that 23 per cent of Kiwi women in urban areas and 28 per cent in rural areas experienced some form of sexual abuse when under 15 years-old.
The researchers also found that around half of the women had experienced the abuse on more than one occasion and in most cases, one perpetrator was involved, generally a male family member.
According to the team, the average age of the victim at the start of the abuse was nine, while that of the abuser was 30.