In parts of Asia, almost 1 in 4 men admit to rape: UN survey

Almost a quarter of men in six Asia countries admitted to committing at least one rape, according to a United Nations study.

One in ten men surveyed said they had assaulted a stranger, while 24 percent confessed to forcing their partner to have sex, the BBC reported.

The research is part of a UN report on violence against women released Tuesday, which aims to change men's behavior.

Surveyors asked 10,000 men in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka about their sexual history, in what is thought to be the first multi-country study on the prevalence of rape. It is also unique for its focus on perpetrators rather than victims, according to Bloomberg.

Nearly half of the men surveyed admitted to raping multiple women.

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Rape rates varied significantly by country. Papua New Guinea saw one in six men admit to rape, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had much lower numbers.

In China and Cambodia, the prevalence ranged from one in five to almost half of all men surveyed.

"It's clear violence against women is far more widespread in the general population than we thought," said study author Rachel Jewkes of South Africa's Medical Research Council, according to the Associated Press.

The researchers said the shocking results were likely due to engrained attitudes that make men feel "sexually entitled."

The findings were published in The Lancet Global Health journal.