COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD CONSIDERS REPORTS OF LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC ON SALE OF CHILDREN, CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today considered the initial reports of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on how the country is implementing the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Optional Protocol on children involved in armed conflict.
Introducing the reports, Khammoune Viphongxay, Vice Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Commissioner of the Lao National Commission for Mothers and Children, said violence, exploitation and abuse of children were unacceptable and victims must be afforded the appropriate care and support while perpetrators must expect to be prosecuted and punished. The Lao Government had placed those issues high on its agenda and had made remarkable progress in strengthening the legal and policy framework to protect children. The rape of boys and girls and the use of children as prostitutes, both boys and girls, were criminalized, as was trafficking in persons. The Government was working to strengthen civil registration in order to verify the age of new recruits into the armed forces. The Government’s commitment to the protection and promotion of the rights of all children had to be placed in the context of the enormous challenges the country faced which included institutional and capacity constraints, such as in the area of data collection, and limited public awareness about laws and policies.
Under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, Committee Experts noted that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had made a great deal of progress in recent years but said many challenges remained. They asked about measures to protect vulnerable children from sexual exploitation such as child sex tourism, actions to prevent child pornography, international adoption procedures, extradition and gaps in legislation. Reports of harassment of journalists and human rights defenders reporting on issues such as trafficking and sexual tourism by law enforcement officials were also raised.
On the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, Committee Experts asked about children in the armed forces, the presence of military schools and how the age of potential recruits into the armed forces was determined in the absence of official birth certificates. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic was classified as “the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world” said Experts, enquiring about the de-mining process and the impact of unexploded ordinance on children. The governance of recruitment by private security companies and training on the Optional Protocol were also discussed.
Jorge Cardona Llorens, Committee Chairperson and the Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, in his closing remarks, said the State party’s main challenge was the lack of data, as without data the Government did not know what was happening and so could not address problems.
Bernard Gastaud, Committee Expert and the Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, thanked the State party for their open and positive participation in the dialogue and noted the commitments made in terms of the implementation of the Optional Protocol.
In concluding remarks Mr. Viphongxay said the world was diverse in terms of political, economic, social, cultural and historical realities and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic believed that children’s rights were best realized through reliance on local institutions and legal frameworks, taking into account the realities on the ground. It wished to learn from the best practices of the international community in order to fully implement the Convention.
The delegation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic included representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Lao National Commission for Mothers and Children, the National Assembly, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lao Women’s Union, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and of the Permanent Mission of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 28 May, in Chamber A at the Palais Wilson to consider the initial report of Israel under the Optional Protocol on the sale on children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC/C/OPSC/ISR/1). The programme of work for the Committee’s sixty-ninth session can be found here.
Reports
The initial report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the sale on children, child prostitution and child pornography can be read here:
(CRC/C/OPSC/LAO/1) and the initial report under the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict can be read here: (CRC/C/OPAC/LAO/1).
Presentation of the Reports
KHAMMOUNE VIPHONGXAY, Vice Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Commissioner of the Lao National Commission for Mothers and Children, said violence, exploitation and abuse of children were unacceptable and victims must be afforded the appropriate care and support while perpetrators must expect to be prosecuted and punished. In recent years the Lao Government had placed those issues high on its agenda and had made remarkable progress in strengthening the legal and policy framework to protect children. The National Plan of Action to Prevent and Eliminate Violence against Women and Children 2014 to 2020 was adopted last year, and on 30 January 2015 the National Assembly adopted the Law on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Children, which included the penalization of forced and commercial prostitution. A national prevalence study on violence against children was conducted in 2014, the first such data-collection process in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the results of which would form the basis for future policy and legislative development and for establishing effective prevention and response systems.
The Committee’s concerns were taken into consideration in the recent revision of the Penal Law which now criminalized the rape of both girls and boys, the use of prostitutes who were both girls and boys, and the request for, provision of, recruitment of or offer of a child who was less than 18 years of age for the purpose of child prostitution. Trafficking in persons remained a serious challenge in the region, including that of girls for the purpose of prostitution, and the complexity of such crimes demanded the effort of not only one Government but those of many countries. To that end in April 2015 the Lao Government had signed the joint Mekong Ministerial declaration at an Inter-Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia, said Mr. Viphongxay. The National Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons was adopted in 2012, a new agreement with China to prevent trafficking was finalized in 2014, and a new law on Trafficking in Persons was expected to be finalized in 2015. Efforts were being made to improve social welfare services to victims of violence, exploitation and abuse and existing Child Protection Networks at village levels were being strengthened, with special consideration for “at risk” children.
The Committee’s concerns about the recruitment of children under the age of 18 years belonging to ethnic minority groups by the armed forces were noted, said Mr. Viphongxay, saying the Government would welcome any documentation the Committee could share on those cases so it could take action. He also noted that the regional Action Plan on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics was adopted in 2014 along with other Asia-Pacific countries, and at the national level a coordination committee on civil administration had been established to verify the age of new recruits into the armed forces.
In conclusion, the Government’s commitment to the protection and promotion of the rights of all children had to be placed in the context of the enormous challenges the country was grappling with, said Mr. Viphongxay. Institutional and capacity constraints, including in the area of data collection, had been a major challenge to efforts to improve children’s rights. Public awareness about laws, regulations and policies, particularly among remote rural communities, was limited. Nevertheless, the Government continued to invest in strengthening the environment to allow every child to enjoy their fundamental rights.
Consideration of the Report on the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
Questions by the Country Rapporteur
JORGE CARDONA LLORENS, Committee Chairperson and the Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said the Committee was aware that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had made a great deal of progress in recent years and welcomed the positive steps outlined in the presentation of the report. However, it also faced major challenges, firstly the lack of data, as acknowledged by the State party. What had been done to establish data-collection systems?
Concerning legislation, the Convention and its Optional Protocols were not incorporated into national legislation and could not be applied by the courts. The State party itself acknowledged that it had gaps in its legislation, and the Committee was concerned that while trafficking of children was illegal in law, the ‘sale of a child’ in itself was not criminalized. Was it illegal to sell a child for adoption or to sell human organs, for example, asked the Country Rapporteur. Concerning child pornography, was the sale, possession and use of it criminalized? Was rape of a child, a boy or a girl, aged between 15 and 18 years, considered as such or was it classed as the rape of an adult? The Penal Law criminalized only the rape of girls, not of boys, and similarly only the prostitution of girls, not of boys, was illegal. Was a child prostitute considered to be an offender or a victim? Was a child only considered a victim if he or she had been trafficked and not if he or she had consented to the prostitution?
What measures had been taken to prevent the sale, prostitution and pornography of vulnerable children, particularly those from ethnic minorities, street children, children who were victims of domestic violence, children living in institutions, migrant and refugee children, among others.
Questions by Committee Experts
In the absence of an independent complaints and monitoring mechanism in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, how could children report offences and violations to the authorities, asked an Expert. She also enquired how prevention campaigns tackled cultural values and traditional beliefs, such as the perception held by many parents that their child was their property? Was there a direct emergency service to give immediate protection to a child rescued from abuse, for example prostitution, so they could be reintegrated into their family, school and community?
Child sex tourism continued to grow, despite the Government’s efforts to combat it. Was sex tourism explicitly prohibited in national legislation, asked an Expert, and in the light of reports that it was on the increase, could the delegation provide details of measures being taken to prevent it? In recent years there had been large movements of populations around the country, often in search of employment and a better livelihood. Such movements had led to the displacement of children and their increased vulnerability to trafficking and sex tourism. What was being done to tackle the root causes?
Actions to prevent trafficking in persons, particularly for the purposes of the sexual exploitation of children or to create child pornography, were enquired about by an Expert who also asked whether the State’s anti-trafficking plans included tailor-made aspects to protect children. The delegation was asked whether the Optional Protocol served as a basis for extradition, both for people from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic into another country or from another country into the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The Expert also asked about measures to tackle corruption, particularly in the allocation of resources.
The Committee had been informed of cases of harassment of journalists and human rights defenders by law enforcement officials while reporting on human rights violations, particularly issues concerning trafficking and sexual tourism. It had received reports of reprisals against human rights defenders, such as imprisonment. What was being done in response?
Response by the Delegation
The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was striving to fully realize the rights of children as stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols. It was aware of the need for greater accountability and was working to harmonize domestic laws with the Convention and Optional Protocols, as well as other international treaties, said the Head of the Delegation. A new Penal Law was expected to be approved by the National Assembly in 2016, and the Government was currently in the process of gathering views and information from stakeholders across the country, and welcomed all inputs from interested parties to the draft law.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic had a policy to promote sustainable tourism and attract foreign tourists into the country, particularly as it had been listed as one of the most attractive tourism destinations worldwide in 2015, and tourists in particular visited to see the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage City of Luang Prabang. In 2014 the Lao People’s Democratic Republic hosted more than four million tourists, compared to only 400,000 in 1990. However, that increase in tourists had led to an increase in the number of cases of sex tourism.
Sex tourism was a major concern in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the region and across the world, said the delegate. In response the Law on Tourism was revised in 2013 to promote tourism on the one hand and regulate tourism agencies on the other. The law prohibited practices of sexual exploitation, forced labour and sex abuse by tourism agencies and other parties.
Other measures to tackle sex tourism included the publication of a ‘Responsible Tourism Charter’ by the Government which had been disseminated through various channels. Training, workshops and seminars for tour guides, entrepreneurs and businesses in the tourism and transport sectors on the law and the rights of women and children had also been held. Awareness-raising training was directed at hotel management and staff, focusing on the impact of sex tourism and helping people understand how they could act to prevent it. Efforts were made to punish any form of corruption related to sex tourism and its prevention, emphasized the delegate.
Any adoption of a child was approved by the National Committee on Adoption which included representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Public Health and had sub-bodies at the regional levels. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic currently had a moratorium on inter-country adoptions and was considering adopting the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption. A new decree on adoption was currently being drafted.
A delegate spoke about cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to work out measures to protect children from possible abuse via information and communication technologies, in particular sexual abuse perpetrated via and on mobile phones. The Government was working with mobile phone companies to strengthen protection measures and had identified ‘Information Campaign Ambassadors’ – public figures, such as musicians or sports heroes who could influence young people.
Children could access the justice system from a local level, and child victims of abuse could report offences to their village authorities or the Women’s Union in their local district. For non-serious cases the children could enter into a mediation mechanism at the village level while serious cases were dealt with at a higher level, and the offender was prosecuted under the national law. A delegate said there was no information on the number of cases regarding children who had been prosecuted.
A delegate clarified that criminal law could be applied to children aged 16 and over. He said that the most serious cases were those such as child abuse or the rape of children, which were considered criminal offences and would not be subject to a mediation process. The delegate also said reports that a child victim could be treated as an offender, for example in cases of forced prostitution, were not accurate. A child victim would always be assisted, returned to their parents, trained on what they had done wrong, and what was the right way to behave in accordance with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s culture. For example, if parents accepted money for the adoption of one of their biological children, that would be considered the sale of a child, and was an offence that would not be dealt with through the mediation mechanism but would be prosecuted in the courts, confirmed a delegate.
Concerning juvenile justice, the Committee was informed that a juvenile court had not yet been established but the mediation mechanism was also used for child offenders; imprisonment and other serious punishments were only applied for the most serious crimes.
The Government placed great emphasis on the training of public sector workers. Thanks to support from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Government had organized training sessions for officials which included the provisions of the Convention and the Optional Protocols. Data collection was carried out by the Lao Statistics Bureau and was disaggregated by age, sex and rural and urban background, but not by ethnic group, said a delegate. A central mechanism collected data on cases of trafficking of women and children in coordination with provincial anti-trafficking divisions and other concerned ministries, he added.
Consideration of the Report on the Optional Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict
Questions by the Country Rapporteur
BERNARD GASTAUD, Committee Member and Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on Children in Armed Conflict, said when the Lao People’s Democratic Republic ratified the Optional Protocol it made an interpretative declaration, which was a surprise to the Committee, with regard to the age of 18 years. He asked the delegation to explain what was meant by the interpretative declaration and which place the Optional Protocol held in national law.
Had any training on the provisions of the Optional Protocol been provided for professionals working with or for children who were likely to have been involved in armed conflict, especially for members of the armed forces, the police, immigration officials, lawyers, judges and medical workers. How widely had the provisions of the Optional Protocol been disseminated among children and the general public? The Expert also asked whether schools taught pupils about human rights and peace-making.
The Penal Law held no sanction for the recruitment of children under the age of 18 in the armed forces, which was counter to the Convention and Optional Protocol. Did the State party intend to criminalize the recruitment of children? If the recruitment was not a crime then how could offenders be prosecuted and punished for it?
The report contained a lot of interesting information on de-mining operations in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. As the State party was one of the most heavily bombed nations in the world and noting that the proportion of child casualties resulting from unexploded ordinance had increased, what measures were being taken to protect children from explosive remnants of war? The awareness-raising campaigns on landmines for children and the general public were commended by the Committee, which would like to know what impact they had had. There were many de-mining organizations active in the country; how were they coordinated to ensure there was no overlap?
Private security companies were authorized to recruit children from the age of 14 years, but did not do so in practice, according to the report. Could the delegation please clarify? Furthermore, was it correct that such private security officers were not armed?
Military schools were raised by Mr. Gastaud who asked whether schools for the children of military personnel were just regular schools managed by the Ministry for Education. What safeguards were in place to ensure that children in those schools did not receive any type of military training, he asked. Mr. Gastaud also asked about the export of arms to countries in conflict and why Lao courts did not permit extra-territorial jurisdiction.
Questions by the Committee Experts
An Expert asked for information about protection measures for vulnerable children who were migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers or unaccompanied. Would the Lao People’s Democratic Republic ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and define the recruitment of children under the age of 15 years of age as a war crime?
Response by the Delegation
Responding to the question about reports of reprisals against journalists, non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders, a delegate replied that the Government had for many years attached great importance to assisting and cooperating with non-governmental organizations and indeed had adopted a Prime Ministerial decree which stipulated those principles.
There was no official data relating to levels of mobile phone access and use by young people but overall the use was rapidly increasing and many young people were using new technologies such as smart phones, tablets, internet Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G and social media networks. Technological advancements were progressing rapidly, and the Government wanted to take steps to ensure that children could benefit from those new platforms and access information within a secure online environment. Recent initiatives included a 2014 decree on the management of information on the Internet and an awareness-raising campaign titled ‘awareness, prevention and safety on the Internet’ featuring posters, videos and teaching in schools.
The Government had no record of the number of cases of girls, including from China and Viet Nam, who had been trafficked for prostitution in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, but the Government had signed memorandums of understanding on the subject with neighbouring countries in the region, including Thailand, Viet Nam and China. It had also entered into a joint project to tackle trafficking and child sex abuse called ‘Project Childhood 2010 to 2014’ with the Australian Agency for International Development, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and INTERPOL. That project sought to enhance the capacity of law-enforcement officials to deal with child-sex offenders and to assist victims. The agreements signed with neighbouring countries included measures to repatriate victims back to their home countries. In 2004 the Lao People’s Democratic Republic endorsed the ASEAN Declaration against Human Trafficking particularly Women and Children, noted the delegate.
Children could make complaints about human rights violations or any offences under the Optional Protocols by calling a free hotline set up by the Government, said a delegate, noting that the hotline was available in the official Lao language which was known by all ethnic groups.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic had not experienced armed conflict either internally or with its neighbours for the past 20 years, said a delegate, and she could therefore confirm that children were not involved in armed conflict. One of the reasons that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had not experienced conflict for more than two decades was that children were educated in school to love peace, to care and share, and to respect and love the elderly and their families. Such education was a fundamental aspect of the prevention of war, said the delegate.
Children could only be recruited into the armed forces from the age of 18 years, confirmed a delegate. There were no refugees or asylum seekers in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, she also confirmed, and no child had ever been charged with committing a war crime.
Concerning the impact of unexploded ordinance, a delegate said as the Committee well knew, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had unfortunately been classified as “the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world”. During the Viet Nam war, between the years of 1964 and 1973, there were 580,000 bombing missions on the country. As a result some two million tonnes of ordinance were dropped in the country of which up to 30 per cent failed to explode. More than 270 million cluster munitions were used and up to 18 million of those cluster munitions also failed to explode and remained in the Lao land. Consequently 15 out of 18 provinces in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic were still contaminated with unexploded ordinance.
More than 20,000 children had been killed or injured by unexploded ordinance in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. However good progress had been made in reducing the number of accidents and the average number of annual casualties had reduced from around 300 per year as recently as 2008 to 56 casualties in 2012 (which included 14 boys and three girls, and 15 deaths including that of two girls and six boys). In 2013 there were 41 casualties (of which 13 people were killed including seven boys and one girl). In 2014 there were 45 casualties (of which 16 people were killed, including 12 boys). There had already been 23 casualties so far in 2015 which had led to four deaths, two of which were boys. Casualties caused by unexploded ordinance were a very serious problem which the Government had to address, said a delegate, adding that she would submit further data on this to the Committee following the review.
Continuing to outline measures taken to clear unexploded ordinance, a delegate said there were de-mining operations in nine of the affected provinces, focusing on the priority areas, villages, rice fields, and areas around schools and hospitals. The Lao National Unexploded Ordinance Programme was established in 1996 with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Development Programme to build national capacity to address the long-term humanitarian and development challenges. The operations of the Lao National Unexploded Ordinance Programme reflected the generic principles of humanitarian mine action and included roving tasks, area clearance, risk education activities, general survey tasks and technical survey tasks. It was vital to address the needs of children in connection with unexploded ordinance as they were so vulnerable to becoming victim to it, the delegate added.
In addition to the Lao National Unexploded Ordinance Programme there were seven humanitarian operators and 13 commercial operators undertaking survey and clearance work, carried out by approximately 3,500 men and women. In 2013 6,927 hectares were cleared compared to 6,040 hectares in 2012 and consistent with the strategic plans of the Government. In the coming year the unexploded ordinance sectors would develop legislation to ensure the full compliance of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic with the Convention on Cluster Munitions, noted a delegate.
Regarding birth registration in the context of verification of the age of recruits into the military, the Committee was informed that to age people the authorities relied on the Family Book. The Family Book was a document kept by families themselves into which children’s dates of birth were recorded at the village level. Under that system, a village chief would be notified of a birth and then issue a simple notification which families used to inform local police officers about the birth, who would in turn record it in the Family Book. The information in the Family Book could then be used, for example, to verify a child’s age upon marriage or recruitment into the military.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic did not produce any armaments of any form, including small arms and light weapons, and it did not sell or export small arms to any country, a delegate informed the Committee. As a least-developed country, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was not able to produce or sell small arms, she continued, but it shared the concern of the international community about the role played by small arms in conflicts across the world. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons had a debilitating effect on peace building efforts. The Government was further concerned that small arms were used by some armed groups to spread fear among communities. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic strongly supported the United Nations initiative to combat the illicit trade of small arms.
Responding to the question about military schools a delegate said there was no school specifically operated by the army in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. However, there was the Lao KM 67 School which was managed by the police force and often accepted to educate children from ethnic minorities, poor families and homeless children. The curriculum taught was the one decreed by the Ministry of Education and Sport. After completing their studies at their school students could go on to higher education if that was their preference. The school had no form of military training.
Recruitment into the People’s Security Protection Forces was carried out in accordance with the Law on National Defence Obligation and the minimum age for recruitment into the military was 18 years of age. Members of the police force must also be Lao nationals and aged 18 years or over, added a delegate.
The law on extradition was adopted in 2012 and bilateral agreements on extradition had been established with neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Viet Nam. Under those agreements a person who had committed an offence and was aged 18 or older could be extradited. However, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic shared borders with many countries.
Private security companies operated under the oversight of the Ministry on Security. Their recruitment processes did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Government but nevertheless their staff had to be aged 18 years and older. Staff working for private security companies did not carry weapons, confirmed a delegate.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic was not ready to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and it needed more time to study it in depth and raise awareness about it among Lao officials and the public at large, said a delegate.
After signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Government had established a committee to implement it. As to whether the Convention could be implemented by courts, a delegate confirmed that that could only be done once it had been incorporated into national law and that any law which did not contradict national law could be drawn on in the legal process. The Lao Red Cross implemented humanitarian law, noted an Expert.
Progress had been made in providing assistance to victims of unexploded ordinance in recent years, said a delegate, describing the Survivor Tracking System established in 2012 to facilitate the collection of detailed information on survivors in 10 heavily contaminated provinces. Another achievement was the new Unexploded Ordinance Mine Victim Strategy 2014 to 2020 which was already being implemented by relevant stakeholders. Assistance provided to children included medical and rehabilitative care, financial support for medical treatment, education grants, equipment for children with disabilities, vocational training and psycho-social support.
Speaking about cultural and family values in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic a delegate explained that most households in the country were multi-generational and children lived not only with their parents but also their grandparents. That meant that children grew up with lots of strong and loving role models, and while they were considered part of the household they were also strongly regarded as part of the community.
Concluding Remarks
JORGE CARDONA LLORENS, Committee Chairperson and the Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, thanked the delegation for their answers to detailed questions and hoped that the Committee’s concluding recommendations would assist the State party in addressing challenges and legislative reform. The main challenge was the lack of data, as without data the Government did not know what was happening and so could not address problems. Despite the lack of data the Committee did have an impression of the problems and would provide the State party with guidelines.
BERNARD GASTAUD, Committee Expert and the Rapporteur of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, thanked the State party for their open and positive participation in the dialogue and noted the commitments made in terms of the implementation of the Optional Protocol.
KHAMMOUNE VIPHONGXAY, Vice Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Commissioner of the Lao National Commission for Mothers and Children, said he hoped the delegation’s explanations and clarifications had helped the Committee gain a better understanding and more complete picture of children’s rights in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The world was diverse in terms of political, economic, social, cultural and historical realities. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic believed that children’s rights were best realized through reliance on local institutions and legal frameworks, taking into account the realities on the ground. It wished to learn from the best practices of the international community in order to fully implement the Convention.
For use of the information media; not an official record
CRC15/025E