Asia

Article 27 prohibits employers from terminating pregnant women or issuing a warning of termination after six months of their pregnancy or during their maternity leave. Article 70 provides for a fully paid maternity leave of 10 weeks, with a prohibition on forcing woman to work less than 6 weeks after delivery. Article 71 goes on to provide that for up to the period of a year after delivery, women are entitled to take paid breaks to nurse their babies at a limit of one hour per day.

Article 8 provides that traffickers of adults over 18 are subject to a sentence of not less than six months, a fine of 1,000 – 5,000 (JD), or both. Human trafficking crimes for this purpose are defined in Article 3 (A)(1) to include coercion, threat or force, or through giving or receiving gifts or privileges to secure consent.

Section 301 states that any woman, causing herself an abortion or allowing another person to procure an abortion for herself, shall be liable to imprisonment up to a term of three years or a fine not exceeding 60,000 Baht. Section 302 punishes those who procure an abortion for a woman with her consent; the penalty is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or a fine up to 20,000 Baht, with the term and amount varying according to if grievous bodily harm or death resulted from the abortion.

The “Equality Act” broadly prohibits almost all forms of gender discrimination. It establishes two groups, the Committee for the Promotion of Gender Equality (the “PGE Committee”) and the Committee on the Determination of the Unfair Gender Discrimination (the “UGD Committee”).

The “Prostitution Act” criminalizes various activities associated with sex work.

The Criminal Code Section 286 criminalizes any person over the age of 16 years who subsists in whole or part on the earnings of a sex worker. The sentence is imprisonment of 7-20 years and a fine of 14,000-40,000 Baht, or imprisonment for life. The provisions of this section do not apply if the sex worker is bound to give maintenance according to law or morality.

English translation as of 2003 via ILO available here.

This law sets out the measures for protecting women’s rights, promoting gender equality, development of women (including physical, mental, educational, and professional and skills developments), eliminating gender-based discriminations, and preventing crimes, such as human trafficking and domestic violence, against women.  Article 17, Equal Rights in the Family, mandates that women and men have equal rights in all matters concerning family relationships, including equal rights in matrimonial property and inheritance.

The law defines matrimonial and family relationships and sets out protections of mothers’ and children’s interests in family life and upon divorce. The law establishes that men and women have equal rights in all aspects pertaining to family relationships and have freedom to marry upon reaching the age of marriage. The law provides that marriage should be entered into on the basis of mutual consent.

Anyone caught performing an abortion is subject to two to five years of imprisonment and a fine of 5 million to 15 million kip.  Any woman caught performing her own abortion or arranging to have her own abortion done is subject to three months to one year of imprisonment and a fine of 3 million to 10 million kip. If the offender is in the habitual practice of performing abortions, they are subject to five to seven years imprisonment and a fine of 7 million to 20 million kip. The Penal Code also punishes attempted abortions.

Discrimination against women or restriction of women’s participation in any political, economic, socio-cultural or family activity based on gender reasons is subject to one to three years of imprisonment.  Violators are subject to “public criticism,” “re-education without deprivation of liberty,” or imprisonment of one to three years and a fine of 3 million to 10 million kip. English translation available from the Laos Official Gazette here.