The protection of children and women, and minority of all forms, is dictated by law, not by some obtuse theory. Basic legal concept of equal protection under the law explains the rationale for the protection of minorigy as defined by age, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. The guiding principle should be : in time of peace, the rich should not make slaves of the poors and in time of war, the strong should not make slave of the weaks. In the US, this equal protection is written in Amendment XIV. All modern states have similar clause in their constitutions, but the difference is the ability and willingness to enforce it. A legal mandate should not find its basis in some fictitious "theory", especially when it deals with human rights; if one looks for theoretical basis for the protection of children, one should look to no other than the theory of natural law. See the Declaration of the Rights of Man. ("Man" shojld take to mean all humans).

http://www.woventeaching.org/decl-rts-man-citizen

In the words of Cicero in his De Legibus:

"There is indeed a law, right reason, which is in accordance with nature ; existing in all, unchangeable, eternal. Commanding us to do what is right, forbidding us to do what is wrong. It has dominion over good men, but possesses no influence over bad ones. No other law can be substituted for it, no part of it can be taken away, nor can it be abrogated altogether. Neither the people or the senate can absolve from it. It is not one thing at Rome, and another thing at Athens : one thing to-day, and another thing to-morrow ; but it is eternal and immutable for all nations and for all time."

The word "men" here should take to mean living human beings, including women and children, and people of all classes and origin or status in society.