Attapeu Province, Lao PDR — When Ms. Chansamay Thavikanh first began supporting women and children affected by violence, she knew that gender-based violence existed. Like many people in her community, she had seen how violence could harm families, silence women, and leave survivors feeling alone.
But she did not yet know how to help.
“I knew violence happened in society,” she recalls. “But I did not know that there were structured ways to support survivors.”
That changed when she became involved in UNFPA-supported activities through the Lao Women’s Union, beginning with the response to the Sanamxay dam collapse disaster in Attapeu. In evacuation centres, where many women and families had lost their homes, safety and emotional support became as urgent as food, water and shelter.
With support channelled through the Lao Women’s Union central counselling centre, the Provincial Women’s Union in Attapeu established a Women-Friendly Space — a place where displaced women could rest, speak, receive information and find comfort. Activities included individual counselling, storytelling, flower folding, dancing and simple games to help women cope with stress and regain a sense of dignity in the middle of crisis.
For Ms. Chansamay, it was the beginning of a new journey.
Today, she works as a GBV counsellor at the Counselling and Protection Centre for Women and Children (CPCWC) in Attapeu, which has been operating for nearly three years. Her work is quiet, sensitive and often invisible. It happens in conversations where survivors may not be ready to speak. It happens in moments of silence, tears, fear and hesitation.
“One survivor came many times without saying anything,” Ms. Chansamay says. “Eventually, I gently encouraged her to speak. She talked, cried, and then she was able to laugh. Seeing her feel lighter made me proud that I could support someone’s emotional healing.”
This is what survivor-centred support means in practice: creating space without pressure and listening without judgment. Through UNFPA-supported training and follow-up coaching, Ms. Chansamay learned the core principles of supporting survivors of violence — safety, confidentiality, respect and non-discrimination for keeping the survivor at the centre of every decision.
Across Lao PDR, UNFPA has worked with the Government, the Lao Women’s Union and partners to strengthen the national response to gender-based violence. This includes supporting counselling and protection services, strengthening referral pathways, improving coordination across sectors such as health, justice and social protection, and promoting psychosocial support for survivors.
These efforts are part of a broader shift: from seeing violence as a private issue to recognizing it as a violation of rights, a public health concern and a barrier to equality and development. Since 2006, the UNFPA-supported Lao Women’s Union counselling centre has provided a safe entry point for survivors seeking help, showing how dedicated services can make a life-changing difference.
The work has also expanded beyond individual counselling. UNFPA and partners have supported the development of standard operating procedures for coordination and referral pathways for women and girls subjected to violence, helping service providers know how to respond safely and ethically. Shelters and protection spaces have also become an important part of the response, alongside health and social services for survivors.
For counsellors like Ms. Chansamay, these systems matter. Before, coordination between agencies was not always clear. Today, the establishment of a provincial GBV coordination committee has helped improve collaboration among those responsible for protecting women and girls. Still, challenges remain. Some survivors are afraid or ashamed to share their full story. Others come with expectations that counsellors cannot always meet, especially when they need financial support.
Ms. Chansamay also believes that the next step must include more work with men and boys.
“Male engagement remains limited,” she says. “We need initiatives that support men to recognise women as equals.”
Her recommendation speaks to the heart of prevention. Supporting survivors is essential, but ending violence also means changing attitudes, power dynamics, and harmful norms before harm happens. It means making equality part of everyday life — in families, communities, schools, workplaces and institutions.
As UNFPA marks 50 years of partnership with Lao PDR, stories like Ms. Chansamay’s show what progress looks like beyond policies and programmes. It looks like a survivor entering a room and finding someone trained to listen. It looks like a woman crying, then laughing again. It looks like a counsellor in Attapeu who now knows that healing begins not by telling survivors what to do, but by empowering them to heal and reclaim their voice.
This progress has been made possible through the commitment of the Government of Lao PDR, communities, frontline service providers, and the sustained support of partners including the United Kingdom, Japan, KOICA and DFAT. Together, these efforts have helped strengthen counselling services, referral pathways, protection mechanisms and community-based support for women and girls affected by violence.
For 50 years, UNFPA has worked with Lao PDR to advance rights, choices, dignity and safety. The next chapter must continue to bring services closer to those who need them most, and ensure that every woman and girl, wherever she lives, can seek help without fear, without shame and without being left behind.
