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CEDAW Committee Concluding Observations

The key areas of concern raised by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women at their 44th Session in August 2009 included the following:

• The status of the Convention vis-à-vis domestic legislation is unclear. The Constitution or other appropriate legislation does not include a definition of discrimination that encompasses both direct and indirect discrimination and discrimination in public and in private spheres.
  
• There is inadequate knowledge of the rights of women under the Convention, its concept of substantive gender equality and the Committee’s general recommendations, in society in general, including all branches of the Government and the judiciary at all levels.
  

• The understanding of the concept of temporary special measures is not in accordance with the Committee’s interpretation and such measures are not systematically applied as a necessary strategy to accelerate the achievement of de facto or substantive equality between women and men.

• The institutional mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality have unclear mandates and there is lack of coordination among them.

• Persistence of adverse norms, practices and traditions as well as patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles, responsibilities and identities of women and men in all spheres of life.

• VAW - High prevalence of violence against women and girls, including domestic violence. Cases of violence are underreported and those that are reported are settled out of court. Marital rape is not yet criminalized.

• Trafficking – Persistence of trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. Protection procedures to returned trafficked victims from abroad, especially from Thailand, are inadequate.

• Very low participation of women in all areas of public, political and professional life.

• Very high illiteracy rates among women, especially among women belonging to certain ethnic groups. Traditional attitudes constitute obstacles to girls’ education as well as drop-out rates owing to involvement in domestic chores.

• Poor work conditions in the garment factories, where 80 per cent of the workers are young women from rural areas. Persistence of a gender wage gap and vertical and horizontal labour force segregation. Less job security for women, who are usually engaged in temporary and seasonal employment.

• The rates of maternal and infant mortality are very high, especially in rural areas.

• The number of women infected with HIV/AIDS increases at an average rate of 8 per cent per year.

• Migrant women – Continued feminization of migration, Lao women constitute some 70 per cent of the country’s migrants.

• Rural women – Women in rural and remote areas, who form the vast majority of women, are in a disadvantaged position, characterized by poverty, illiteracy, difficulties in access to health, education and social services, and a lack of participation in decision-making processes at the community level, including the village council.

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