From Rhetoric to Reality: Canada's Obligations to the Immigrant and Refugee Girl Child in International Law

Canada is signatory to a variety of international legal instruments which speak to the rights of the immigrant and refugee girl child in Canada. The extent to which Canada is legally bound by such instruments is controversial at the level of implementation. This paper examines Canada's obligations to the immigrant and refugee girl child as defined in specific international instruments, and legal barriers to enforcing the agreements. It contrasts the rhetoric of applicable human rights instruments to the lived experiences of the immigrant and refugee girl child in Canada. Despite legislation, programming, and services, the immigrant and refugee girl child in Canada continue to face racism, sexism, ageism and violence at home, at school and on Canadian streets.