International Development Law Organization

Strengthening the domestic violence response in Mongolia

Domestic violence in Mongolia is increasingly recognized as a significant problem. Law enforcement officials report that in 2016 domestic violence cases increased by 25 per cent in the first seven months of the year compared to the previous year. In response, the Government of Mongolia has begun to take legislative and policy steps to improve its response to the issue. While important steps continue to be taken, significant challenges remain. Despite the existence of the Law on Combating Domestic Violence since 2004 and its amendment which came into force in February 2017, first responders and other justice sector actors have not always been responsive to the problem, partially due to a limited understanding of domestic violence characteristics. Coordination is inadequate, and survivors are often encouraged at various stages of criminal proceedings to reconcile with their abusers.

IDLO is implementing a project that aims to strengthen the response to domestic violence and increase access to justice for survivors of domestic violence in Mongolia. Building on previous training and work completed during IDLO’s prior Combating Gender-Based Violence project in Mongolia, IDLO will support the development and adoption of rules and regulations for justice institutions to formalize coordination among justice sector actors, and ensure effective responses to domestic violence cases along the justice chain. To further strengthen the professional capacity of first responders, targeted training will be delivered to relevant justice sector actors, an exposure visit to the United States will be organized and domestic violence knowledge will be institutionalized within justice institutions. Lastly, training programs will expand from Ulaanbaatar to more remote regions of the country and the project will pilot a criminology survey on causes of domestic violence, and propose effective ways of combating and preventing it.

Status: 
Completed
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