Living and Working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
By Lindsay Walton
After applying for an internship opportunity in Mongolia from the University of Victoria that sounded too good to be true, I was fortunate to be selected. The internship involved spending a summer working for a Mongolian NGO in a field I am interested in, eager to learn about and hoping to study in graduate school. The position is as a Program Assistant for the Shelter House Network, a branch of the National Center Against Violence (NCAV). This organization works to prevent and create awareness of issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse and gender based violence. Their Shelter Network is a developing program within the organization that aims to establish and expand on the existing five women's shelters around the country.
Early in May, I packed my bags and moved to the Mongolian capital city, Ulaanbaatar, where I will be living until September when I will come back home and to school. Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city in the world, and so coming from the west coast, I am happy to be here for a summer and not a winter placement.
I am here as an intern for the University of Victoria's Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI), and supported by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada through their Students for Development Program which is in turn funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). During my stay here, I am working for NCAV's Shelter House Network to create a manual for policy and procedure as well as for the sustainable development of the Network. I have also been teaching English to clients of the shelter and their children and helping to set up a volunteer program to provide hospital and police station accompaniments to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and gender based violence that can be combined with the NCAV's existing hotline service.
As in most parts of the world, domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, and gender-based violence in Mongolia are prevalent, misunderstood and largely unaddressed. NCAV is working to make positive changes. They have worked to mobilize the government to address the issue, largely through aiding in the creation of the Law Against Domestic Violence. Since January 1, 2005, this law has addressed many different aspects of domestic violence, by providing government funding and contracting with NGOs to increase awareness and understanding of the issues by training those involved with these types of violence such as social workers, police officers, judges and lawyers. The Shelter Network plays a very significant role in this effort to create a healthier society that protects all citizens from violence, regardless of whether it takes place in the streets or in individual homes. It is an organization that works to help women, men and the children and I feel fortunate to be able to be a part of it. As a student from a Canadian university, I am happy to make a contribution even if it is only for a fairly short time. It is an experience that has broadened my awareness of the issues that exist in this area not only in Mongolia, but in my own country.
If you’d like to learn more about NCAV, you can visit their website at www.againstviolence.org, or send me an email at lwalton@uvic.ca.
