United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Estimates 2024.
Proportion of women aged 15–64 years experiencing sexual violence perpetrated by someone other than an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime. Source: National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Lao PDR, 2015. Lao National Survey on Women's Health and Life Experiences 2014 - A Study on Violence against Women.
Proportion of ever-partnered women aged 15-64 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. Source: National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Lao PDR, 2015. Lao National Survey on Women's Health and Life Experiences 2014 - A Study on Violence against Women.
Proportion of ever-partnered women aged 15-64 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months. Source: National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Lao PDR, 2015. Lao National Survey on Women's Health and Life Experiences 2014 - A Study on Violence against Women.
(1) Ensure the effective implementation of legislation on gender-based violence against women and girls, particularly the Law on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Children, including by allocating sufficient human, financial and technical resources for the effective handling of complaints and operation of referral systems; (2) Encourage women and girls to report all cases of gender-based violence against them, including by enhancing awareness-raising campaigns through media and public education campaigns; (3) Ensure that women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence have direct access to legal remedies and victim and witness assistance and protection programmes and that village mediation units do not constitute an obstacle to access for women to formal justice, in particular in cases of domestic and sexual violence; (4) Provide capacity-building programmes for judges, prosecutors, the police and other law enforcement officials, legal practitioners, health-service providers and members of village mediation units to ensure that all cases of gender-based violence are investigated and prosecuted in a gender-sensitive manner; (5) Ensure that women and girls who are victims of domestic violence, in particular those who live in remote areas, have adequate access to shelters, psychosocial counselling, legal assistance and protection orders against abusive partners; (6) Systematically collect data on gender-based violence against women and girls, in particular domestic and sexual violence, disaggregated by age, ethnicity and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, as well as on protection orders, the number of prosecutions made and the sentences imposed on perpetrators.
(1) Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes, harmful practices and the stigma experienced by women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence; (2) Implement long-term awareness-raising campaigns to eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes and harmful practices, with the active participation of women and women's organizations, targeting men and boys, as well as political and community leaders, village chiefs, the media, employers and the general public;
(1) Ensure the strict application of the Family Law, which prohibits early marriage and polygamy, in particular among rural and ethnic communities; (2) Address the root causes of early marriage and polygamy and carry out public awareness-raising programmes to end such practices, including campaigns on the negative health, education and livelihood consequences of early pregnancy and marriage for girls, in cooperation with women's organizations and the communities concerned; (3) Adopt measures to protect girls already in early marriages and unions; (4) Ensure that gender-based violence against women in the domestic sphere is taken into account in child custody and visitation decisions.
(1) Conduct systematic awareness-raising campaigns about the risks and criminal nature of trafficking and address the root causes of trafficking and exploitation of women and girls, including by offering vocational training and alternative income opportunities to girls and women who are at risk; (2) Ensure the early identification of victims of trafficking and their referral to the appropriate services for assistance and rehabilitation, including by strengthening interministerial coordination through the sufficient allocation of resources, providing mandatory capacity-building to law enforcement officials and ensuring the participation of civil society organizations in the implementation of the national action plans; (3) Investigate, prosecute and adequately punish perpetrators of trafficking in persons, ensure the protection of women and girls who are victims of trafficking and provide them with free and immediate access to specialized shelters, medical care, psychosocial counselling, legal aid and rehabilitation and reintegration services; (4) Adopt a legislative and policy framework that ensures legal protection against exploitation for women who engage in surrogacy.
Lao does not address violence against women and girls. However, it does include general equality and non-discrimination guarantees.
The Resistance and Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children Law, 2014. This law provides a comprehensive legal framework, defining all types of violence against women, sets our protection measures, procedures for investigation, penalties and mandates for key entities.
The Second national Plan of Action on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Children, 2021-2025.