VIENTIANE, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) — Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has called for everyone to join together in ending violence against women and girls, saying that this kind of pernicious violence continues to exist.
Thongloun issued his message when joining other countries around the world in marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Sunday.
Countries across the globe are marking the day under this year’s theme “Hear Me Too” from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10, according to local daily Vientiane Times on Monday.
In his message, Thongloun underlined the need for all countries to continue their collective effort to reduce and eliminate violence against female.
Globally, one in every three women, or 35 percent of all women, have suffered some form of physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partners, Thongloun noted, citing statistics from the World Health Organization.
In the context of Laos, he said Laos attached great importance to implementing the Plan of Action aimed at battling violence against women and girls.
Over past years, Laos has actively participated in regional and international frameworks to end this type of violence.
This is reflected in Laos’ becoming a state party to core human rights conventions drawn up by the United Nations, Thongloun said.
These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Laos, together with other members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the 10-member regional bloc, also adopted the ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Violence against Children.
“It can be seen that Laos has made fundamental achievements in fulfilling its obligations together with the international community,” Thongloun said.
To implement the international conventions, the Lao government has incorporated them into the country’s constitution, laws and policies.
Strategic plans and plans of action have been drawn up and projects have been introduced to realize these policies with the goal of empowering women, promoting gender equality, and eliminating violence against women and girls.
This year, Laos presented its national report under the CEDAW and CRC conventions to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, according to the report.
