GENDER AND SOCIAL INCLUSION ANALYSIS (GSIA) USAID LAOS LEGAL AID SUPPORT PROGRAM The Asia Foundation Vientiane, Lao PDR 26 July 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... i Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................... iii 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Laos Legal Aid Support Program................................................................................................... 1 1.2 This Report ........................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Methodology and Coverage ................................................................................................................ 2 1.4 Limitations ........................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Contextual Analysis ........................................................................................................................3 2.1 Gender Equality ................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Access to Justice .................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Literacy ................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.4 Education ............................................................................................................................................. 7 2.5 Health .................................................................................................................................................. 8 2.6 Violence Against Women and Children ............................................................................................... 8 2.7 Disability ............................................................................................................................................ 10 2.8 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ............................................................................................ 11 2.10 Ethnicity and Ethnic Groups in Laos ................................................................................................ 11 2.11 Ethnicity in the Assessed Areas ....................................................................................................... 15 2.11.1 Austroasiatic or Mon-Khmer .................................................................................................... 15 2.11.2 Katuic ........................................................................................................................................ 16 2.11.3 Bahnaric .................................................................................................................................... 16 2.11.4 Khmuic ...................................................................................................................................... 16 2.11.5 The Hmong-Mien family ........................................................................................................... 17 2.11.6 Sino-Tibetan: Loloish ................................................................................................................ 19 2.11.7 Kra-dai or Tai Kadai (Lao-Tai) .................................................................................................... 20 2.12 The Roots of Exclusion: Women and Ethnicity ................................................................................ 22 2.12.1 Austroasiatic (Mon-Khmer) ...................................................................................................... 22 2.12.2 Hmong ...................................................................................................................................... 23 2.12.3 Akha .......................................................................................................................................... 24 2.12.4 Lowland Societies ..................................................................................................................... 25 3. Findings from the Field ................................................................................................................. 25 3.1 Saravanh ............................................................................................................................................ 25 3.1.1 Ban Takiit .................................................................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 Ban On Noy ................................................................................................................................. 27 3.1.3 Ban Na My................................................................................................................................... 30 3.1.4 Ban Ban Non Takay ..................................................................................................................... 31 3.2 Oudomxay ......................................................................................................................................... 32 3.2.1 Ban Pang Thong .......................................................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 Ban Mou Teun............................................................................................................................. 34 3.2.3 Ban Pak Nam Tong ...................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.4 Nam Veun Neua .......................................................................................................................... 37 3.3 Xieng Khoang ..................................................................................................................................... 39 i 3.3.1 Ban Na Mone - Phouan ............................................................................................................... 39 3.3.2 Ban Nam Song ............................................................................................................................. 40 3.3.3 Ban Nam Nyen ............................................................................................................................ 41 3.3.4 Ban Na Meuang .......................................................................................................................... 43 4. Gaps and Barriers ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.1 Language ........................................................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Legal Education for villagers ............................................................................................................. 45 4.3 The Laws themselves ......................................................................................................................... 45 5. Conclusions .................................................................................................................................. 45 6. Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 46 6. References ................................................................................................................................... 48 Annex 1 – Guideline Instrument ....................................................................................................... 51 ii ACRONYMS ADB Asian Development Bank GDI Gender Development Index GDP Gross Domestic Product GIDAP Gender and Inclusive Action Development Plan GII Gender Inequality Index GPI Gender Parity Index GSIA Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis IP Indigenous Peoples LBA Lao Bar Association LFNC Lao Front for National Construction LWU Lao Women’s Union LYU Lao Youth Union MEL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning MoE Ministry of Education MoJ Ministry of Justice NIJ National Institute of Justice NPA Non-Profit Association PDR People’s Democratic Republic PNG Papua New Guinea UNDP United Nations Development Program UNESCO United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization UXO Unexploded Ordinance VMU Village Mediation Unit WB World Bank WEF World Economic Forum iii 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND Over the past two decades, Laos has made noteworthy progress in developing a legal system based on rule of law principles. In 2009 the Lao government committed via the Legal Sector Master Plan to become a full “rule of law” state by 2020. Between 2005 and 2015, Laos adopted or amended more than 100 laws, and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) now maintains an online portal of all laws and regulations and educates communities annually on new or important laws. This focus on rule of law