This happens at home, education facilities and other settings. It also includes sexual abuse and exploitation online. We are deeply disturbed by the growing severity of violence against children, including sexual abuse. This is a result of years of under-detection and under-reporting as well insufficient professional management of such cases.

This has to stop.

Children must not be a victim of our failure to ensure their safety. We, as parents, as a society, have to do much more. UNICEF and the UN in Mongolia calls the Government of Mongolia to take the following concrete actions to improve child protection in the country*:

Establishing a national child protection system should get top-priority. This should include a significant increase in the number of professional and qualified social workers to effectively assist children
Carry out a comprehensive assessment of the extent, causes and nature of violence against children, including sexual abuse of boys. This should help to prevent and combat violence against children;
Ensure the allocation of adequate human, technical and financial resources for strengthening child protection systems at national, subnational and community levels;
Provide free counselling to parents, including psychological and legal counselling.
Children must be a top priority for any Government at any time. Politics, elections, emergency should never intervene with children enjoying their rights to the fullest in Mongolia.

*These are recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF will continue to support Mongolia in its tireless efforts to promote and protect the rights and well-being of children.

We count on all of you to better protect every child across Mongolia.

Alex Heikens
UNICEF Representative in Mongolia

Tapan Mishra
UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia