Lao youth take lead to end child marriage, adolescent pregnancy

FILE PHOTO: At 16, Tod was expecting her second child in 2013. With limited options for schooling, adolscents in some remote villages in southern Laos routinely marry and start the hard work of raising families by age 14 or 15. - UNFPA AsiaPacific

VIENTIANE: Youth representatives from across Laos convened to tackle the urgent issues of child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) and adolescent pregnancy, with the country among those with the highest rates in South-East Asia.

A youth-led workshop was held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Wednesday (Sept 17), bringing together youth volunteers and officials committed to ending child marriage nationwide, Lao News Agency reported on Thursday.