Category: Legal

Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Steering Committee on Human Trafficking Gen. Vilay Lakhamfong has urged human trafficking committees of all sectors to pay attention to prevention efforts against human trafficking.

Addressing an annual meeting on human trafficking prevention held in Vientiane on Jan 17, Gen. Vilay asked human trafficking authorities to take into account efforts that are not in line with relevant decrees and laws, and the allocation of human resources for the victim reception centre for northern Laos in Luang Namtha and human trafficking police personnel to border gates.

He called on relevant authorities to implement in a more effective manner the national action plan on human trafficking prevention phase III (2021-2025) and focus on raising public awareness of the danger of human trafficking and ensuring prosecution against such a crime is strict, decisive, and transparent.

He also called on relevant authorities to strengthen their collaboration and external cooperation to ensure prompt help and assistance can be provided to human trafficking victims.

“Human trafficking is a severe crime taking place in the country and abroad, a crime that severely violates fundamental human rights and poses direct physical and mental impacts on victims and their families. It’s a social ill affecting society and national development,” said DPM Vilay Lakhamfong.

Human trafficking ranks third in terms of illicit profit after illegal drug trafficking and arms trading.

According to estimates of international anti-criminal organizations, 45.8 million people, including 10 million children, fall victim to human trafficking every year.

Last year, although Covid-19 prompted closure of international border gates, crimes continued to happen and in more complicated forms such as forced labour, sexual exploitation, surrogacy, and sexual abuses on social media.

Notably, in 2022 ads on social media and brokers lured many domestic and foreign people into false promises of jobs at the golden triangle area in Bokeo.

Source: Lao News Agency

The United State Agency for International Development (USAID) Laos Counter Trafficking in persons (Laos CTIP) Project has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to work with the northern provinces of Oudomxay and Luang Namtha for the countering human trafficking.

The MOU was signed by Director General of the Social Welfare Department Vongkham Phathanouvong and Chief of Party for the Laos CTIP Project Xoukiet Panyanouvong on Jan 11, 2023 in Vientiane in the presence of Vice Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Leepao Yang and U.S. Charge d’Affaires Shannon Farrell.

Laos and the United States government cooperation has enhanced the understanding of child protection network members in villages on referral and protection of at-risk population and victims, and increased skills and employability of the victims and vulnerable population through vocational training and subsequent support for jobs and business start-up.

Funded by USAID and implemented by Winrock International, the Laos CTIP project reduces vulnerability to human trafficking for at-risk populations and victims and has been operational in four southern and central provinces since 2020.

Further, the project raises the awareness of the public, particularly youth, on the risk of trafficking and how to report cases through development of innovative information, education and communications materials and campaigns including cartoon animation.

The project is now expanding its efforts to the two northern provinces that are challenged by human trafficking. The project also supports Lao government’s counter-trafficking efforts for coordination, victim identification, provisions of quality services, and prevention through enhancing access to economic opportunities and by raising awareness.

Vice Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Leepao Yang said: In order to solve the problem of human trafficking, party and government focus on creating anti-blocking tool, help the victims, proceedings against the perpetrators, establish a local and national anti-trafficking committee, establish a children’s court, a child protection network, and a center to provide assistance to children and women who are victims of human trafficking.

Charge d’Affaires Shannon Farrell thanked to the Government of Laos for its continued partnership with the United States to end human trafficking. “Ending trafficking in persons continues to be the priority for the United States. Building on successful efforts by the Laos CTIP Project, we are confident that the government of Laos, together with Winrock International, development partners, non-profit organizations and private sectors can enhance prevention and protection of human trafficking in northern Laos,” said Charge d’Affaires Shannon Farrell. “The United States is committed to an enhanced partnership to support Laos in this effort and advance the implementation of the latest National Plan of Action on Anti-human trafficking.

Charge d’Affaires Shannon Farrell said: Despite such efforts, 142 victims of trafficking in persons were identified in Laos in 2021. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and temporary closures of borders, patterns and pictures of migrations and trafficking have noticeably changed, but people have still fallen to human trafficking.

The impact of the post-pandemic economic challenges are again changing the patterns of migration and trafficking. Anti-human trafficking, prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships are more important than ever said Charge d’Affaires Shannon Farrell.

The project will be funded with a package of US$800,000 and implemented through 30 September 2024.

Source: Lao News Agency

UNFPA, in partnership with the Faculty of Education, National University of Laos, Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union (LYU) and Global Shapers, brought together young innovators in the Lao PDR to present their innovative, impactful implementable ideas and technical solutions for addressing some of the key challenges faced by adolescents and young people in the country.
The Youth Innovation Challenge 2022 Hackathon was organised on Dec 16 to identify and promote the role and voices of youth in shaping solutions for their ecosystem. The activity is in line with the implementation of the Lao Youth and Adolescent Development Strategy 2021-2030 and the Noi ecosystem.
“The youth innovation challenges provided young people with opportunities, platforms and mentorship to express their creativity and receive guidance to develop those ideas further. NUOL, UNFPA, LYU and Global Shapers will then help winners establish networks with relevant stakeholders in their thematic areas,” said Vice Dean, Faculty of Education, National University of Laos Vixien Thongthavy.
Three thematic areas for this challenge were: promoting sexual and reproductive health of adolescents and young people with focus on preventing early and unwanted pregnancies; promoting mental health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people; and addressing climate change. Expert mentors supported teams during the hackathon for refining their ideas. These teams then pitched ideas and solutions to a panel of judges.

Three most innovative ideas and solutions were awarded with USD1,000 each. The selection decision by the panel of judges was based on criteria (thematic areas, innovation, implement ability, feasibility, cultural appropriateness, impact and reach, scalability and sustainability) and the quality of the pitch during the hackathon.

“Lao youth of today are part of the largest generation of working age people the country will ever have. You can play a central role in finding creative and innovative solutions for addressing the challenges of health, well being and environment,” said Mariam A. Khan, UNFPA Representative.
Mr Tavan Phetsaphaivanh, one of the winners of this year’s Youth Innovation Challenge, shared, “I am so glad to be a part of the Youth Innovation Challenge 2022. I have had this innovative idea for two years, and this is the perfect platform for me to share and make it happen. So stay tuned for what will happen next!”
The campaign “Me, My Body, My Planet, My Future” was first launched in 2019 by UNFPA in collaboration with the LYU. The aim is to encourage and engage youth to take action for Sustainable Development Goals. It fosters the linkage between the decisions youth make about their well-being, the protection of the planet and how the decisions impact their future. The prosperous future of young girls and boys is linked to the actions they take to protect their health, well-being, the environment and combat climate change.

Source: Lao News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithone’s family, Women Federation of Prime Minister’s Office led by Mrs Vienggneun Khaikhamphithoune, a spouse of Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithone and authorities of Saravan province have brought a number of consumers goods donated poor and underprivillaged students and people on November 26, in Saravan province.
Donated items including daily household utensils, clothes, dried food, and farming equipments cost over 200 million kip, were donated to villagers and students of Phao village, Saravan district, Toumlan village, Toumlan district and ethnic boarding school in Saravan province.
Mrs Vienggneun expressed concerned over the people’s live and asked for convenience and problem as well as praise the efforts of local authorities that paid attention to local development.

Source: Lao News Agency

The movies have returned to Indian-administered Kashmir after an absence of more than three decades.
A new multiplex cinema, INOX Srinagar, lit up its three screens for the first time on September 30, almost 33 years after all of the region’s theaters shut down in the face of a campaign by armed militants opposed to cinemas, beauty parlors and liquor shops.
Even today, the threat of violence remains high for the several dozen theatergoers who visit the multiplex each day, seeking a novel experience in the case of the younger generation or, in the case of their elders, a nostalgic reminder of times past.
Would-be patrons must pass through a tight security cordon, having their cars checked by a rifle-bearing policeman, and then being frisked at the main gate before entering the theater. An armored truck with at least a dozen policemen is stationed near the entry gate, and an elevated security tower stands next to the ticket counter.
The Kashmir Valley boasted some 15 movie theaters until 1989, when militants opposed to Indian rule in the region demanded their closure. All were shut down on January 1, 1990.
Some were turned into malls, some into hospitals, and some into bunkers now occupied by Indian paramilitary forces. Several, subjected to grenade or firebomb attacks, are nothing more than piles of bricks. A few short-lived attempts to reopen theaters since 1990 failed in the face of heavy security and militant threats.
None of that history has dampened the enthusiasm of INOX Srinagar owner Vikas Dhar, whose family has owned movie theaters in Srinagar since the 1960s. He told VOA that for him, the opening of his multiplex marks the realization of a dream.
So far attendance has been sparse, with a little more than 5,000 patrons visiting the 524-seat complex in its first month of operation. But Dhar is already looking ahead.
“It is not a big figure, but it will increase with the passage of time when people will come out of their houses without being afraid of anyone,” he said.
“We are planning to provide a wholesome entertainment for the entire family, and it requires more development,” Dhar continued. “The launch of multiplex is generating interest among people and will surely increase in the near future. We are also thinking of developing a play area for children and food court for the adults next year.”
A peek at the past
For Mahjabeen Ashai, a homemaker in her early 60s, a visit to the cinema brought back the past. “Though hard but I visited INOX Srinagar just to recollect memories of old times when I used to watch movies in halls with my husband,” she told VOA.
But for a younger generation of Kashmiris who have never visited a movie theater, there is the question of why they should put up with the security risks when they can enjoy the same films in their own homes on streaming video – commonly referred to in the region as OTT (Over The Top).
“I like watching stuff from the comfort of my home,” said Tayba Gulnar, a 27-year-old lawyer. “Almost all of us have big TV screens with OTT subscriptions at home. Cinema is a public place and is different from what it used to be 10-15 years ago.
“Why should I go to the cinema to watch a movie?” she asked. “I would only watch an animated movie in cinema, if I ever go there.”
But Dhar is convinced that even younger Kashmiris will learn to appreciate the unique experience of watching a film in a cinema. He said that movies such as “Avatar” and “Avengers” with their dramatic special effects can only be fully enjoyed on the big screen.
Dhar’s optimism is shared by Manmohan Singh Gauri, whose Palladium Cinema was perhaps the best-known theater in the region before shutting down with the others at the beginning of 1990. India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was photographed shaking hands in front of the theater with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, then prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir, not long after independence from Britain.
Gauri told VOA that he hopes to open his own two-screen multiplex if he is granted permission by the government. He said he expects his bid could make a big impact, adding that the return of cinema to the valley can give younger Kashmiris access to more information about what is happening around the world.
Despite the strict security measures, the threat of violence remains a concern; just in the past week four militants were killed in twin encounters with Indian forces in Kashmir.
But Dhar said he is taking steps to keep his patrons safe. “At present we are running three to four shows in a day and don’t have any plans for late evening shows,” he said.

Source: Voice of America