Studies from other countries show that a high rate of gender-based violence is often strongly associated with a mining sector boom, notable as the province has become the epicentre of Mongolia’s mining industry. Rapid industrialization since 2010, high workforce migration, combined with difficult working conditions in the mining sector could explain this phenomenon. Which measures have to been taken? Where can we make changes?
Since 2016, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has supported the Combating Gender-Based Violence project in Mongolia. For policy and advocacy work, the project established eleven one-stop service centres (OSSCs) for GBV survivors across the country. In 2016-2020, the centres served approximately 5,000 women in seven provinces and four municipal districts; 43 percent of the clients were women, and 48 percent were boys and girls aged 0-17.
The joint mission of the Government of Mongolia, SDC, UNFPA, the EU Delegation, and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women worked in Dalanzadgad, Umnugobi Province. The Government of Mongolia invited the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Reem Alsalem, to visit Mongolia in December 2021. The visit to the province was part of her assignment in Mongolia. During the field visit with SDC and the EU Delegation, she visited the city’s one-stop service centre and spoke to local and national authorities about the progress and challenges in the area of domestic violence and GBV. At the conclusion of her nine-day mission in Mongolia, she noted, “It is welcome that services for victims, like shelters, one-stop service centres, and multidisciplinary teams, have been progressively expanded, including at the provincial level. More needs to be done, however, to ensure their availability and viability, particularly for women in remote or rural areas.”
The persistently high level of the prevalence of domestic and gender-based violence shows that there is a need for action from each of us individuals and organisations, against this human rights violation.
For more information: https://mongolia.unfpa.org/en/