Today marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign. In this global movement, people from around the world come together to stand against violence against women and girls in all settings. We must not tolerate any and all forms of violence against women and girls at home, at workplaces, and in public.

It has been 25 years since Mongolia joined the global movement, which raises awareness about the reality of gender-based violence and actively engages the public toward ending the discriminatory gender norms and stereotypes that underlie the violence.

According to the National Gender-based Violence Survey, one in every two Mongolian women has experienced violence perpetrated by an intimate partner at least once in their lives. Regrettably, at least one in every three survivors of physical and sexual violence believes that a man is justified in hitting his partner under certain circumstances.

One in ten (10.7 per cent) of all women reported having experienced sexual abuse before they were 15 years old. The most common perpetrators of violence and abuse were other family members (29.5 per cent).

A 2021 study by the Communications Regulatory Commission and Mongolian Marketing Consulting Group reveals that 33% of children come across child sexual abuse materials online.

Regrettably, according to the recent violence and harassment at work study (2021) conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia and the International Labour Organization, 10 per cent of women said they had experienced sexual harassment of some form at their workplace.

We deplore these acts of violence, whether physical, sexual, psychological, or economic. We stand together to bring an end to violence against women and girls.

There is a critical need to bring awareness to gender-based violence, focus on prevention, and support services for violence survivors. This has become even more urgent as Mongolia grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. The significant spikes in domestic violence cases recorded in Mongolia at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have not subsided and remain a growing concern.

In the first seven months of 2022, 6,263 domestic violence cases were reported to the police, a 19 per cent increase from the previous year. Reports show that over 95 per cent of perpetrators of domestic violence were men, which underscores the need for advocacy for positive transformative masculinity for men, and support for both men and women to stand against gender-based violence.

The eradication of violence against women and girls is a collective responsibility. In addition to our continued efforts to support and protect the victims as well as ensure appropriate action against perpetrators, we need to focus due attention on prevention by facilitating access to survivor-centred and multi-sectoral services, and addressing root causes of gender-based violence by working closely with communities to progressively transform the conditions that perpetuate violence against women and girls.

We will continue to provide capacity development support to state and non-state actors through training on a comprehensive approach to gender-based violence prevention, risk mitigation, and response to disclosures and safe referrals.

We call on everyone to stand with women and girls to take firm action to end the violence. The UN calls upon everyone in Mongolia – men and women alike – to recognize their role in ending gender-based violence by PROTECTING ALL THAT IS PRECIOUS TO YOU, the call to action for this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign in Mongolia.

We reaffirm our commitment to helping create a violence-free society where the rights of every woman and girl are respected and protected by all, today and every day and everywhere – in public, at home, and in workplaces.