This articles traces the progress and
identifies the setbacks in providing equal
and effective protection to female as well
as male refugees, with reference to two
important events in female refugee
protection: 1) the 1951 UN Convention
Relating to the Status of Refugees; and 2)
the Executive Committee of the Office of
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees'
(UNHCR) adoption of the Guidelines on the
Protection of Refugee Women. The latter
event identified certain gaps in the
protection of at-risk refugee women and
girls. This article focuses on three such