Population of women: 1,313,000/2,630,000
Life expectancy of women (at birth): 65.9 yrs
School life expectancy for women: 11 yrs

Adult illiteracy for women: 1.7%
Unemployment of women: N/A
Adult economic activity rate: 36%
Source: U.N. Statistics Division, Social Indicators, updated 12 July 2004 (Some statistics provided may be from previous years and other sources as cited by the U.N. Statistics Division)

The Advocates for Human Rights is in the process of updating this page. Revisions and additions are forthcoming. Please check back frequently for updates.

last updated July 12, 2004

Discrimination against Mongolian women persists in many areas, including political life, the workplace and home. Various laws, such as the Mongolian Constitution, Labour Law, Criminal Code, Civil Code and Family Law, contain provisions to promote gender equality. There are two provisions in the Mongolian Constitution relevant to gender equality. Article 16(11) provides for equal rights among women and men in political, economic, social, cultural and family life. Article 14 of the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on several grounds, including sex. The 1999 Labor Law prohibits discrimination in employment and contains a section addressing maternity rights. Despite provisions such as these, the lack of enforcement mechanisms inhibits the realization of gender equality.

According to the 2003 U.S. State Department Report on Human Rights Practices, there are currently forty women’s rights service and advocacy groups in Mongolia, dealing with issues of maternal and child health, domestic violence and equal opportunity. The National Center Against Violence operates offices in two districts of Ulaanbaatar and eight provinces. However, there is only one small shelter for victims of domestic abuse in the entire country. The Mongolian government does not have a specific agency that oversees women’s rights, but the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor does contain a Division for Women and Youth Issues.

Domestic violence is a serious problem for women in Mongolia. According to the National Center Against Violence, there were 326 registered cases of domestic violence between 1998 and 2000. According to the 2003 U.S. State Department Country Report on Human Rights Practices, in Mongolia, “approximately 98.5 percent of those who committed violent crimes in the home were male, and women were disproportionately the victims of these crimes. Further, in recent years, domestic abuse appeared to become more violent; different statistical sources stated that between 10 and 24 percent of murders occurred in the home. In 1998, murders of women were 8 percent of all murder cases; in 2001, the number had doubled to 17 percent.”  Domestic violence is illegal, but the current law is deemed insufficient for several reasons, including a lack of deterrence, inadequate victim protection, and the lack of legislation that would specifically prohibit spousal rape. Once the offender has been prosecuted, there is no other known police or government intervention in domestic violence cases. Furthermore, authorities often use the Administrative Responsibility Law instead of the Criminal Code to respond to domestic violence. This law punishes arguments or fighting by a fine or administrative detention for seven to thirty days; generally, only the fine is imposed on the offender.

On 13 May 2004, the Parliament of Mongolia unanimously adopted a Domestic Violence Bill. According to a UNIFEM press release, women's groups in the country had lobbied for the bill's passage since 1996; UNIFEM and other U.N. bodies provided training and support for the groups to effectively influence the policy process. The Advocates for Human Rights has issued comments on the new domestic violence law.

Sexual harassment of Mongolian women is a widespread problem exacerbated by traditional attitudes and the risk of unemployment. In a 1998 study, CEDAW found that only 43.8% of Mongolian women, compared to 64.6% of men, did not experience discrimination in the workplace. There are no laws, however, that prohibit sexual harassment.

Rape is illegal in Mongolia under Article 112, which states:

"Sexual intercourse by force or threats, or by taking advantage of helplessness of the victim, shall be punished to imprisonment for a term of 2 to 6 years. Rape committed repeatedly or committed by a group of persons, or grave injury is inflicted on the victim because of rape or rape of a minor shall be punished to imprisonment for a term of up to 12 years. Rape committed by a especially dangerous recidivist, or resulting in death of a person, or other especially grave consequences or rape of a child, that is below the age of 14 years shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of 8 to 15 years or to death penalty."

The 2003 U.S. State Department Report cites Mongolia as both a source and transit country for trafficking in persons. The primary targets of traffickers were middle class girls and young women aged 14-28 years, often lured to other Asian countries or Eastern Europe with offers of work or study. There is no law in Mongolia that specifically prohibits trafficking. However, the Criminal Code penalizes various aspects of trafficking, including prostitution. Article 111 imposes five years' imprisonment or a fine for the involvement of minors in prostitution. Article 111 also punishes the recruitment and deception of persons, who are sent abroad for purposes of prostitution, by imprisonment for three to eight years. Article 110 punishes sexual intercourse with a person below 16 years of age by labor or up to three years' imprisonment. In addition, prostitutes may be fined or imprisoned, but there are no punishments for the clients. The U.S. State Department Report noted that an NGO and the Ministry of Justice provided police training on trafficking-related issues in 2003.

Compiled from:

2003 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Mongolia, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 February 2003.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, submitted in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 2002/52, 27 February 2003. (PDF, 435 pages).

Gender Briefing Kit, UN Development Programme Ulaanbaatar, 2000. (PDF, 43 pages).

The Crime of Trafficking of Women and Children in Mongolia: the Current Situation, National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia and Center for Human Rights and Development, 2002.

Human Rights Baseline Study, UN Development Programme. (PDF, 49 pages).