As we know, and certainly much more clearly over the last few weeks, girls and women hesitate to report for exactly the reasons that they will be stigmatized, or rejected, or questioned in terms of their veracity. This is universal and pervasive.
We know that in Canada one in four girls reports to us that they're sexually assaulted before the age of 16, as do 15% of boys. I am never in a classroom with young children where I'm not counting one, two, three, four, and one, two, three, four, yet I wonder.... In terms of the reporting and the confidence to report, I think what's fundamentally important is for us to create safe individuals and safe institutions so children feel that they can come forward. If that doesn't work at the family level, can it work at the health clinic level or can it work at the school level? It's so important that we're able to create a safe environment for children and girls to report these abuses, an environment where they know they will receive the support they need.
I don't think it's unique to religion or societies. It's an issue that we need to get on top of as a planet: we need to get ahead of almost the habituation or the normalcy of gender-based violence.