SRSG Santos Pais warmly welcomes the passage by the Mongolian Parliament – the State Great Hural – of the 2016 Law on the Rights of Children and the 2016 Law on Child Protection

New York, 18 March 2016 - The adoption of these two new laws is critical to secure children’s rights and very especially children’s right to protection from all forms of violence in all settings, including corporal punishment within the family. This is a significant step for Mongolia and constitutes an important reference for developments in other nations in the Eastern and South Eastern Asia region" stressed SRSG Santos Pais.   

Both laws enter into force on 1st September 2016. With this important national development, the promotion of positive discipline and the recognition of the human dignity and worth of each child, as well as children’s right to be raised with love in a caring and safe environment, have been legally recognized.

The effective implementation of these laws lays a solid foundation to build and strengthen the national child protection system to promote zero tolerance of violence against children, and ensure services are in place to prevent and address violence wherever it occurs.   

As Member States of the United Nations move forward with steady implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, these national legislative measures give the country an important head start in achieving the child-related targets of the new Agenda, particularly SDG Target 16.2 to end all forms of violence against children.  

"I congratulate the Government's efforts to ensure every boy and girl enjoys a childhood free from fear and from all forms of violence" said the SRSG.