A/HRC/50/25 public and political life is scarce and has not predominantly focused on their civic space and activism.10 11. The experts of the Working Group express their gratitude to all stakeholders for their contributions to the preparation of the report. In particular, they acknowledge the unique and remarkable inputs from the girl and young women activists, from all regions and backgrounds, who participated in 10 dedicated consultations. Some of them operate in extremely oppressive contexts, especially those living in occupied territories or countries facing armed conflict, and have taken considerable risks by choosing to share their experiences with the Working Group. Concepts 12. In line with international standards, the Working Group recognized girl children as individuals under the age of 18. 11 United Nations agencies, States and other actors use varying age ranges to define young women. For the preparation of the present report, the Working Group engaged with girls and young women aged between 12 and 30, who identified themselves as girl or young women activists. Many of them indicated that they started their activism as a child. 13. The Working Group uses the term “activism” as an umbrella concept to capture the broad variety of forms and processes, both formal and informal, online and offline, through which girls and young women engage in political and public life. 12 It encompasses participation in the civic space and the conduct of public affairs, including engagement in formal processes related to the exercise of legislative, judicial and executive powers, which are most often established and led by adults, as well as the bottom-up initiatives led by girls and young women themselves. Activism also comprises organizing, mobilizing (including through peaceful protests), campaigning, undertaking collective and individual advocacy and action, and other informal initiatives at grass-roots level, through which girls and young women use their voices to bring about changes to their communities. 13 14. When girl and young women activists take action to advance human rights, they fall within the definition of human rights defenders, as enshrined in the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Declaration on Human Rights Defenders), and should be recognized as such. However, they may not always identify themselves as human rights defenders, often due to the stigma and risks related to acting as one, may not be aware of the term, or may not be considered as such by adults. Regardless of how they identify themselves or are perceived by others, the Working Group recognizes girl and young women activists who engage in the promotion and defence of human rights, in all their diversity, as human rights defenders who are entitled to all related legal protections, including those outlined in the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, relevant Human Rights Council and General Assembly resolutions and other international standards. B. International human rights legal framework 15. The Working Group recalls that every individual, whether adult or minor, is entitled to enjoy all human rights, which are interrelated and interdependent, without discrimination of any kind.14 Girls are entitled to special measures of protection in consideration of their age, gender and other characteristics, encompassing those aimed at empowering and enabling 10 11 12 13 14 See Emily Bent, “The boundaries of girls’ political participation: a critical exploration of girls’ experiences as delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women”, Global Studies of Childhood, vol. 3, No. 2 (2013). Convention on the Rights of the Child, art. 1. See Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, general recommendation No. 23 (1997) and A/HRC/23/50. See Roger A. Hart, “Children’s participation: from tokenism to citizenship”, UNICEF (1992). The right to vote may be subject to a minimum age limit. Any restrictions on the right to stand for election, such as minimum age, must be justifiable on objective and reasonable criteria. See Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 25 (1996), para. 15. 5