The cultural and visual portrayals of girlhood and the inferior status ascribed to the girl child as a semiotic sign in society have, over the past centuries, critically impacted the view that she is “less than” and thus less deserving of fundamental human rights and freedoms. This chapter examines the various social, legal and cultural portrayals and positionalities of the girl child, chronologically from before her birth and into womanhood, and their relationship with many forms of gender-based violence and child-based violence. The chapter covers violations in the Global South and the Global North, including sexualized social and dress codes promoted in the mainstream and social media. The chapter also explains the importance of studying girls as an identity group separately from adult women, and clarifies divisions within girlhood, notably “young girls” and “adolescent girls”.