Whereas the 2006 United Nations World Report on Violence Against Children galvanized many nations in their commitment to face the challenge of ending all violence, including sexual violence, against children in stating, No violence is justifiable, and all violence is preventable. ; Whereas sexual violence against girls is a domestic and international plague that spares no culture, country, race, religion, or ethnicity; Whereas data from United Nations Children’s Fund indicate up to 50 percent of sexual assaults worldwide are committed against girls under 16 years of age; Whereas sexual violence against girls and the lifelong consequences impede their potential contributions to society and present a major obstacle for nations in the journey to self-reliance with political and economic stability; Whereas the African population is predicted to double by the year 2050, resulting in the increased potential of an estimated population of 2,500,000,000 with more than 50 percent of the population 18 years of age or younger; Whereas realizing the full potential of all Africans requires eliminating gender inequities in education; Whereas sexual violence against children and adolescents perpetuates intergenerational poverty through factors including increased school absenteeism, decreased years in school, and early childbearing; Whereas the economic growth of Africa is around 3 percent per year, and 4 of the top 10 countries with the fastest growing economies are on the African continent including Ethiopia, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mozambique; Whereas Africa could realize a 2 percent to 2.5 percent growth in the annual per capita gross domestic product through a 1-year increase in the average education attained per child; Whereas sexual violence during childhood is associated with serious immediate and long-term health impacts including but not limited to higher rates of pregnancy, maternal mortality, suicide, depression, substance abuse, heart disease, obesity, and HIV/AIDS