In Their Own Defence: Violence against girls, and girls as human rights defenders

This paper was presented as a background document for the 2009 United Kingdom-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) Colloquium. The colloquium intended to explore the systems, mechanisms and practices available for female victims of violence under the age of 18 to assert themselves in the face of violation of their human rights. It further aimed to stimulate debate and reflection with the purpose of ascertaining whether there is a research and education agenda which merits to be pursued in seeking to reduce violence and to empower the affected girls and women. After establishing some key concepts, the paper raises crucial questions that acted as important guidelines for the discussions that took place during the colloquium.