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Vulnerable Groups

Vulnerable groups are defined as those who are susceptible to physical or emotional harm and often face discrimination, including ethnic minorities, migrants, and the disabled. Disadvantaged groups, such as women, children, and refugees, are denied access to their rights due to socio-economic and cultural factors. Despite international commitments to protect these groups, there is no universally accepted definition or classification for them.

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Suhani Singh
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10 views

Vulnerable Groups

Vulnerable groups are defined as those who are susceptible to physical or emotional harm and often face discrimination, including ethnic minorities, migrants, and the disabled. Disadvantaged groups, such as women, children, and refugees, are denied access to their rights due to socio-economic and cultural factors. Despite international commitments to protect these groups, there is no universally accepted definition or classification for them.

Uploaded by

Suhani Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Vulnerable Groups:

The meaning of vulnerable is highly evasive. However, in common understanding, people


who are easily susceptible to physical or emotional injury, or subject to unnecessary criticism,
or in a less advantageous position in any society may be defined as vulnerable people.
Accordingly, vulnerable groups are those groups of people who may find it difficult to lead a
comfortable life, and lack developmental opportunities due to their disadvantageous
positions. Further, due to adverse socio-economical, cultural, and other practices present in
each society, they find it difficult many a times to exercise their human rights fully.

In the language of human rights vulnerable groups may be defined as, certain groups of
population who often encounter discriminatory treatment, or need some kind of special
attention for protection of the State to avoid exploitation or from a harmful environment.

People who are discriminated based on sex, race, by birth in a particular community, religious
or disability or any other criteria that is specific to each society may generally described as
disadvantaged people.
According to European Foundation for the improvement of living Working Conditions,
vulnerable people means :
“Groups that experience a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than the general
population, ethnic minorities, migrants, disabled people, the homeless, those struggling with
substance abuse, isolated elderly people and children all often face difficulties that can lead to
further social exclusion, such as low levels of education and unemployment or
underemployment, refugees, stateless persons, victims of war are described as vulnerable
groups"

Disadvantaged groups:

According to the general perspective of International Law of Human Rights, disadvantaged


groups are the people who are denied free access to the guaranteed rights in their free
exercise. Based on the socio, economic, cultural perspectives, the classification of these
groups vary from country to country. In general, women, children, socially, economically,
culturally deprived sections, disabled, minorities etc. form part of disadvantaged groups.
Poverty is the main contributing factor towards degradation of the status of these people that
are classified as disadvantaged groups. The above definitions are only illustrative in nature.
Despite the commitment of International Law of Human Rights towards the promotion and
protection of rights of these groups, there is no agreed standard definition, concept, or
standard classification of list of people who are to be classified as vulnerable and
disadvantaged groups.

The concept of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups is as old as human history. From ancient
to modern times in every society, number of instances could be found where in a section of
people in each society are given a different kind of treatment. In general, the discrimination
often based on humiliation, harassment, intimidation, through social, political, economical,
customary, and cultural factors. The idea behind such practices is to keep away such people
from the forefront of the social activities and deprive them of their life and liberty. Further,
keeping them aloof, depriving their economic, intellectual capacities to sub serve the needs of
the rich and dominant people of a society.

Women and Girls: Women and girls are normally in a disadvantageous position all over the
World. However, compared to developed countries, they are in a more disadvantageous
position in developing countries due to abject poverty, other social, cultural, and derogatory
customary practices adopted in each country.

Children: Children again are the most disadvantaged people in the World. Children of
developing countries, compared to developed countries face a number of problems, such as
poverty, malnutrition, and other socio, economic, cultural abuses.

Refugees: means, persons who migrate from their country to another country to seek
temporary shelter; due to adverse events such as famine, persecution, religious intolerance,
racial discrimination or any other reason. Such people are unable to exercise freely all the
human rights guaranteed in their own country or in a foreign territory wherein they reside
temporarily.

Internally Displaced Persons: People who are forced to leave their home and place of
residence due to adverse affects or events that take place in their habitual dwelling are
described as Internally Displaced Persons. These people normally take shelter in their own
country away from their habitual place of residence. They do not fall under the category of
refugees.

Disabled Person: Disability assumes different meaning in different contexts. However,


according to UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975) “any person unable to
ensure by himself or herself, wholly or partly the necessities of a normal individual and or
social life as a result of a deficiency either congenital or not in his /her physical or mental
abilities” could be described as disabled. Accordingly, any individual may also qualify as
disabled if he/she has had impairment in the past or is seen as disabled based on a personal or
group standard, or norm. Such impairments may include physical, sensory, and cognitive or
developmental disabilities. People who suffer from mental disorders such as, psychiatric or
psychological infirmities are also described as disabled persons. The United Nations
considering the increasing number of disabled people, and to augment their rights adopted a
convention in 2006. It has also established an organ called as UN Enable, which takes care of
the interests of these people.

Statelessness: means any person or group of persons who do not possess the nationality of
any state. These people are highly vulnerable in the free exercise of their human rights, since
they do not possess nationality of any country.

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