Protection of girls as a vulnerable group under International Law

The article deals with the protection under the contemporary international law of girls as a vulnerable group. Notion «vulnerability» and «vulnerable groups» are analyzed as well as the factors affecting the degree of vulnerability of individuals and criteria to consider girls as a vulnerable group. The article covers the rationale for allocating a special group of girls in order to develop the most effective measures to prevent and combat widespread practice of violating the rights of girls. A number of international treaties and documents provisions devoted to girls are analyzed. There is a list of human rights violations girls are usually victims of (violence, economic exploitation, social exclusion) and specific examples of such violations. Particular attention is paid to the problem of discrimination of girls, including factors influencing the development of practice of discrimination against women and girls, possible ways of eradicating the relevant harmful practices are suggested, statistical evidence on the relevance of the issue in question are given.

international law, human rights, UN, vulnerability, vulnerable groups, discrimination, girls, violence, early marriages