ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the overall scope of IHRL to show that it incorporates, as an integral component, protection of certain groups of persons whose predicament, from a human rights point of view, is or may become highly problematic and, hence, more challenging than the situation of other members of society. It refers to a group of these persons as "vulnerable group" without seeking to elaborate a legal definition of the concept. The chapter explores the texts of UN and regional IHRL conventions and emphasizes their applicability to the situation of vulnerable groups and their members. It briefly recalls major historical events that eventually led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration by the UN in 1948. The chapter highlights how the Declaration rights were elaborated against the background of the egregious violations of human rights the Nazi regime committed before and during World War II against certain groups of persons, particularly on the ground of their ethnicity and political opinion.
