Globally, 85% of women reported witnessing digital violence, and nearly 40% have experienced it personally. There is no data of this nature in Lao PDR, hence, UNFPA in close collaboration with the Faculty of Education at the National University of Laos, sought to better understand the landscape of TFGBV in Lao PDR. This is in line with one of the goals of the 2nd National Plan of Action for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Children (2021-2025) to prevent and respond to online violence, including child online sexual exploitation and abuse.
Asso. Prof Dr. Sithan Soukhavong, Dean of Education Faculty, said, “The findings on the TFGBV today are of utmost importance as it will raise awareness and strengthen the understanding of such issues to all stakeholders. Particularly, it will greatly benefit further studies on various aspects of violence and efforts on prevention of all forms of violence in the Lao PDR.”
Just like walking down the street in the “real” world, women need to be safe in public spaces in the virtual world. Having their image taken, manipulated and shared without permission is a violation of privacy, dignity, autonomy and can be a devastating experience. The feelings of fear, anxiety, loss of self-esteem and sense of powerlessness are real and enduring.
With these preliminary findings, Lao PDR is leading the way in evidence generation on TFGBV for the region. This data set will be used in the country to advocate for an improved understanding of the issue through further research, raise awareness among the community, identify how to strengthen legal and policy frameworks, improve available services, and respond programmatically.
Under a strong collaboration framework with the university, focus group discussions with students of diverse backgrounds were held in late 2022. The students raised many issues and concerns, including the non-consensual use of images, cyberstalking, the use of social media to recruit for forced sex work, and hate speech. This is followed by additional Focus Group Discussions through collaboration with civil society groups, collecting information from diverse community members, as well as Key Informant Interviews with government frontline responders.
Dr. Bakhtiyor Kadyrov, UNFPA Representative, said, “UNFPA is a global leader in combating TFGBV - we are raising awareness around the world through our bodyright campaigns, preventing online violence through Comprehensive Sexuality Education and working with tech companies, and strengthening the capacity of GBV frontline workers. UNFPA is well placed to support the Government of Laos on this issue moving forward as the lead UN agency globally on GBV and online violence against women.”
“Together, we have generated the first evidence in Laos on this issue, paving the way to a future where all spaces - physical or online - are safe for women and girls.” Dr. Kadyrov added.
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UNFPA, the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, works in over 150 countries, including Lao PDR, to achieve zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence.
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