Global: Legal systems failing to prevent abuse of teen girls

Adolescent girls are not getting enough legal support to stop them falling prey to rights abuses, particularly sexual violence, according to legal advocacy group Equality Now. 'Legal systems around the world just don’t work for girls,' Yasmeen Hassan, global director of the New York-based organisation, told TrustLaw in an interview. Key legal obstacles include: girls’ ignorance of their rights or how to exercise them; the fear of stigma, not being believed or being blamed for abuse; further victimisation of girls by the justice system; and lack of tailored support services, says 'Learning from Cases of Girls’ Rights', a recent report from the Adolescent Girls’ Legal Defense Fund (AGLDF).