Closing ceremony marks milestone towards preventing and eliminating violence against women in Laos

The closing and signage unveiling ceremony for “The Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda” took place on October 15 at the Centre for Gender Equality and Elimination of Violence (GEVAW Centre), celebrating significant achievements in combating violence against women in Laos.

President of the Lao Women’s Union, Mrs Aly Vongnobountham (sixth right), attends the closing and signage unveiling ceremony at the GEVAW Centre on October 15.

The project, supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) with US$7 million since 2020, has been instrumental in strengthening the Lao government’s capacity to prevent and respond to violence against women, including the improvement of relevant policies.
President of the Lao Women’s Union, Mrs Aly Vongnobountham, expressed gratitude to all partners, saying: “The successful implementation of the project is the result of joint efforts and ownership of all parties involved in addressing violence against women in Laos.” A collaborative initiative between the Lao Women’s Union, Korean non-governmental organisations (Tacteen Naeil and KDS), and UN agencies (UNDP and UNFPA), the cooperation between partners has been pivotal in the project’s success.
Through this collaboration, key outcomes were achieved including the establishment of the GEVAW Centre, which serves as a central hub for capacity development of trainers, knowledge and statistics management, and advocacy, and earlier this year in July, the Centre also published the Guidelines for the Provision of Feminist Counselling for Victims/Survivors of Violence Against Women. Standard operating procedures for the health, social, and justice sectors’ prevention and response to violence against women were also endorsed by the Lao government, establishing clear standards for the provision of quality services to victims/survivors of violence.
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Laos, Mr Jung Yung Soo, commended this achievement, stating that “The GEVAW Centre and the guidelines and frameworks produced lay a strong foundation for the capacity building of counsellors in their response to violence against women.”
 During the closing ceremony, participants reviewed the project’s achievements and explored future strategies ensuring the elimination of violence against women in Laos. The event highlighted valuable experiences from Korea, particularly in victim support, counsellor capacity building, and statistical management which could be useful to adapt to the Lao context.
While this closing ceremony marked the conclusion of the first phase of KOICA’s flagship project on violence against women, Country Director of the KOICA Office in Laos, Ms Myungjin Kim, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continue supporting efforts to eliminate violence against women in Laos: “We aim to focus our support centred around the GEVAW Centre, which will serve as a critical foundation for evidence-based policy making and response systems against gender based violence in the future.”

By Viengdavanh Banphahaksa
 (Latest Update October 25, 2024)