According to various sources, the parliament of Mongolia passed the Law Against Domestic Violence on 13 May 2004 (AI 2 June 2004; Embassy of Mongolia 25 Nov. 2004; Stop Violence Against Women 12 July 2004). The Law is slated to come into force on 1 January 2005 (Embassy of Mongolia 25 Nov. 2004; NCAV 17 Nov. 2004). While the Embassy was unable to provide an English-language copy of the Law, the National Center Against Violence (NCAV), an Ulaanbaatar-based NGO that helped to draft the new legislation, forwarded the Research Directorate a translated copy, which is attached. The NCAV did not indicate whether the text is an official translation nor whether it is the final version of the Law as passed by parliament.

In an undated document on domestic violence provided to the Research Directorate, the NCAV indicated it has begun collaborative work with the police that "form[s] an important basis for the implementation of the Law." The aims of this collaboration include improving police response to reports of domestic violence and providing counselling to perpetrators of violence (NCAV n.d., 2). For its part, Amnesty International announced in a 2 June 2004 press release that it would be working with the NCAV and the Mongolian Men's Association on the effectiveness of the law in dealing with family violence. According to the NCAV document, other non-governmental organizations, such as the Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD) and the Mongolian Women Lawyers' Association (MWLA), are involved in public awareness programs and lobbying campaigns on domestic violence issues (NCAV n.d., 2). Nevertheless, the NCAV concluded in the document that "[a]lthough the law has been passed, much work.... has to be done in terms of implementation of the law and civil society groups are inten[t] to monitor the implementation of the law" (n.d., 3). Further information on the implementation of the Law Against Domestic Violence could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Amnesty International. 2 June 2004. "Mongolia: NGOs Claim Victory Against Violence in the Family." (press release). http://www.news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA306022004 [Accessed 25 Nov. 2004]

Embassy of Mongolia, Ottawa. 25 November 2004. Telephone interview with the consul.

National Center Against Violence (NCAV). 17 November 2004. Correspondence sent by a NCAV officer.

_____. n.d. "Domestic Violence Situation in Mongolia."

Stop Violence Against Women. 12 July 2004. "Mongolia." http://www.stopvaw.org/printview/87e6ddc4-945-4c0a-b3bl-9bd4835clb37.html [Accessed 24 Nov. 2004]

Mongolia. Law Against Domestic Violence. May 2004. Received from National Center Against Violence, 17 November 2004.

Written sources: Human Rights and Freedoms in Mongolia Status Report 2003

Internet sites, including: Embassy of Mongolia in Ottawa, Government of Mongolia, Human Rights Watch, National Human Rights Commission (Mongolia), Open Society Institute, United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations in Mongolia.