The Synthesis of Age and Gender: Intersectionality, International Human Rights Law, and the Marginalisation of the Girl-Child

This article discusses girls' intersectional marginalization in international human rights law. The author argues that fragmenting girls' identity into the categories of "women" and "children" results in a denial of their rights through intersectional discrimination. Intersectional feminist theory is invoked as a lens for understanding the intersectionality of age and gender. Girls are young in an adult- centered system, and they are female in a male-dominated system. They are marginalized by being female as children and minors as women. This dual marginalization reinforces itself, resulting in girls being overlooked in international law. Some challenges to overcome in international human rights law are recognizing girls' needs and interests, protecting girls in general and specific treaties, and bringing girls to the forefront of children's rights law. Moreover, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child seldom portray girls as right- bearing individuals. The author proposes a UN Special Rapporteur for the Girl-Child to promote an integrated approach to girls' rights.