Advocacy and Legal activities

The second phase of AFESIP project (2009-2012) enlarges its activities and focuses on legal support to ensure a better access to justice for the victims and the development of an advocacy strategy to raise awareness on Human Trafficking and Commercial and Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), to build the capacities of relevant authorities, in order to enforce the law and empower the victims through a recognition of their rights.

Advocacy initiatives such as campaigning, trainings and dissemination of targeted IEC material, are developed toward the duty bearers, from the local authorities to the national decision makers, but also toward the bar owners, the families and the communities at risk.

A legal department including lawyers and legal experts has already been created at AFESIP on the legal support to victims and capacity building of local authorities towards law enforcement. The legal department also provides representation and a real chance to find justice on an individual level.

An Advocacy and Communication department has also been put in place in charge of prevention campaigns, production of quality tools and information to be disseminated, raise awareness, train and empower AFESIP’s different target groups.

The both teams are working together towards law enforcement and a better recognition of victims rights in Lao PDR. This is also undertaken by submission of commentaries on draft laws, polices and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the institutional level.

They are now puting in place several activities in the Framework of the ARTICLE 25 PROJECT, a project advocating for reinforcement of the rights of children and women vicitms of trafficking for sexual exploitation in Lao PDR.

Advocacy and legal reinforcement/support activities

Firstly, ARTICLE 25 project will empower authorities by ensuring they are sufficiently informed to maximise their understanding of the application of Lao laws and NPA; as they can play the central role in dramatically improving the situation. By better informing authorities, they will be able to impose and monitor trafficking law on perpetrators including beer-bar owners, effectively increasing victims’ access to justice and support.

Secondly, ARTICLE 25 project will advocate for the right to information for trafficked and exploited children and women: a right to be informed about their legal status and the services available, and every decision or process that will affect them. This right to information is not only to provide them with the tools to make crucial decisions about their future, but also to respect their inherent dignity with control over their life. To achieve this right to information, the project will support its beneficiaries by information classes on their rights, legal assistance and produce appropriate IEC materials to be distributed.