Gender
Women
Vocational scholarship on offer to good students
Vientiane Professional Development College will provide 160 scholarships to students who lack opportunities to study in Laos. Head of Office at Vientiane Professional Development College, Ms Manolack Pathammavong told Vientiane Times on January 4 that this year the college plans to provide scholarships in three phases ...
Draft law could see men jailed for deceitful promises of marriage
Any man who cohabitates with or impregnates a woman after agreeing to marry her, but then fails to stand by the promise, could soon face prison terms if a draft law comes into effect. The Prevention of Violence against Women Law includes a clause that ...
United Nations: one third of Cambodian women suffer abuse
More than 30 percent of Cambodian women have experienced some form of domestic violence at the hands of their partner at some point in their lives, a report released on December 15 by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the United Nations Population Fund revealed. According ...
Women unite against entertainment industry abuse
Women from the entertainment industry have stood up to protest abuses and violence they suffer at work. A 16-day campaign by their union was launched on December 4, but officials say only five percent of women in the service industry are brave enough to speak ...
Japan supports gender education in Bokeo
The Japanese government has provided grant assistance of more than US$450,381 to build secondary school facilities and support gender education in Bokeo province. A signing ceremony for a grant contract for the project took place on December 1 between the Ambassador of Japan to Laos, ...
Violence against women still a major concern in Laos
Laos needs to increase cooperation with development partners to help eliminate violence against women and girls, with a focus on economic development. A strong partnership among the government, development partners and the private sector is required to ensure adequate and sustainable resources to end violence ...
Progress touted on safe workplaces for women

More than 200 drinking establishments in the capital have so far pledged their commitment to their female workers’ safety as part of the ongoing “Safe Workplaces, Safe Communities” project, officials at a workshop on the program’s progress said on November 28. Launched by the Ministry ...
DPM calls for joint efforts to end violence against women
With a number of women continuing to suffer violence, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sonexay Siphandone has called for joint efforts from all walks of life to put an end to violence against women. Delivering a message on November 22 to mark International Day for the Elimination ...
The challenge for Asia's female politicians

Asia is seeing a new wave of successful female politicians, but getting to the top requires hard choices. What a disastrous few months for women in politics. The world started 2016 with the hopes of seeing both the first female UN secretary general and first ...
Malaysia proposes raising marriage age for Muslim girls

Malaysia has proposed to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 for Muslim girls in a bid to reduce teenage pregnancy rates and enhance social protection for minors. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has engaged stakeholders, including various state religious affairs ...