Working with Lao youth to end violence against women and girls
Date:
Author: Andrea Nyberg
The Lao Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and UN Women are convinced that working with young people is crucial to end violence against women and girls.
Earlier this year, both parties conducted a successful pilot programme with 10 teachers and 60 students of a Secondary School in Vientiane to train the youth on concepts related to gender equality and the elimination of violence against women and girls.
On a recent meeting in Vientiane on 22 June 2015, Mr. Lytou Bouapao, Deputy Minister of MoES, expressed the commitment of the government to expand this programme to make it part of the school curricula and asked for UN Women’s support. "If we want to develop the country and change attitudes and behaviours, we have to start from school" said Mr Bouapao.
In order to prepare for an expansion of the programme, MoES organized a 3-day meeting to review the manual used for the pilot training based on the feedback received from the teachers and the students. The purpose is to develop a tool that can be easily adaptable to the different geographical areas of Lao PDR.
The programme is expected to contribute to increase awareness and understanding about gender equality so future generations of women and men can enjoy lives free of violence. Mr Bouapao declared that the Ministry is fully committed to this cause, and looks forward to continue working closely with UN Women.
For more information please contact:
Andrea Nyberg, UN Women Programme Analyst
Email: [ Click to reveal ]