There is growing recognition that gender-based violence (GBV) against women is a serious violation of human rights that must be eliminated from all sections of society. In Lao PDR, gender-based violence against women can be a by-product of, among other things, traditional beliefs and discriminatory customs related to gender roles. And without a strong rule of law and governance mechanisms to prevent GBV, and provide remedies for survivors of GBV, the elimination of GBV cannot be achieved.

COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as lockdowns, have led to an increase of violence against women around the world as many women find themselves confined with their abusers. Lao PDR is not an exception. The Lao Women’s Union Counselling and Protection Centre reported an increase in hotline and helpline calls requesting assistance and shelter during lockdown periods in 2021.

The Joint Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda in the Lao PDR (“Khan Hom Project”) will see UNDP providing support to the justice and policing sector institutions to ensure that victim/survivors of violence have improved access to quality justice services (per the standards of the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence). To do this, the various barriers experiences by women throughout the justice continuum (Diagram I) need to be understood and reflected in these efforts. Especially in the COVID-19 context, a reevaluation of the situation in Lao PDR with regards to victim/survivors’ experience with the justice system in Lao PDR is imperative.

UNDP GRANT AWARD

The UNDP Grant aims to facilitate and support national civil society organisations (CSOs) for gender equality and women’s empowerment to conduct research and analysis on experiences of victim/survivors of gender-based violence in the justice system, including the COVID-19 perspective and its implications. Results from this research study is expected to be reflected in the Standard Operating Procedure for the justice and policing sector when responding to violence against women, to be developed by government organisations in the next phase of the same project. To this end, UNDP aims to build expert capacity of national civil society in data collection and advocacy for protecting the rights of women against gender-based violence.

The proposed research study should analyse the various barriers faced by victim/survivors of violence throughout the justice continuum, including legal protection, legal awareness, legal aid, the interlinkages between customary law practices (specifically the Village-level Dispute Resolution Committee) and the formal legal system, and impunity for perpetrators.

Objectives:

·       Strengthen prevention and response of justice and policing sector to victim/survivors of violence using evidence-based approaches

·       Build expert capacity of national civil society in data collection and advocacy for protecting the rights of women against gender-based violence

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