VIENTIANE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government and development partners have launched a consultation workshop on child, early, and forced marriages in Laos, marking a crucial step towards ending child marriage.

Child marriage remains a significant challenge in Laos, highlighting an urgent need for collaborative action to address the issue, Lao News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The Lao National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Mother and Child is partnering with the Australian government, the United Nations Population Fund, and the United Nations Children's Fund in launching the "Hidden in Plain Sight" program, aiming to end all forms of child marriage through policy interventions, community engagement and regional collaboration.

The program is part of a regional initiative to address child marriage and will engage various stakeholders through a participatory process involving adolescent girls, their families, and key government and development partners.

Laos has the highest child marriage and adolescent pregnancy rates in Southeast Asia, with 30.5 percent of Lao women married before the age of 18 and 17.4 percent having their first child before the age of 18. Enditem

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