UNICEF Mongolia has launched the next phase of the global End Violence Against Children Initiative, participating in a high-level meeting with the Mongolian National Council for Children. At the event, it also launched a special song aimed at encouraging an end to violence against children, on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In Mongolia, there is growing evidence that violence against children too often remains hidden behind closed doors -- in homes and in schools. Nearly half of all children aged two to 14 years were subject to at least one form of psychological or physical punishment by a household member, according to a 2012 survey.

“The special and very successful meeting of Mongolia’s National Council for Children, chaired by Prime Minister Altankhuyag, was an important sign of a national commitment to ensure the rights of Mongolia’s children are respected and to eliminate violence against children.”

A special song in Mongolian, titled ‘Ever innocent child', and written and performed by premier Mongolian artists and children, was also launched to amplify the call for a respectful and supportive approach to children’s rights.

The End violence against children Initiative urges ordinary citizens, lawmakers, and governments to speak out more forcefully to fight violence against children and seeks to bring together new ideas to guide collective actions on this front.