Voice up for change: Youth are championing for children's rights in Mongolia
Teenagers and adolescents in Mongolia are fighting against human trafficking through the establishment of youth clubs. The Child Protection Compact (CPC) project, which is being implemented under the agreement between the U.S. Government and the Mongolian Government, has been focusing on ending child trafficking in the country since 2020.
This issue is particularly threatening to the younger generation in Mongolia, as the majority of the population consists of youth and adolescents. According to the National Statistics Office of Mongolia, there are a total of 852,385 children and adolescents aged between 5-17 in the country (Source: Child Labour Survey, 2021-2022).
As part of the CPC project, 45 youth clubs have been established in different schools across 5 districts of Ulaanbaatar, with approximately 1000 student activists, as of September 2022. These youth clubs have been proactive and have initiated diverse advocacy campaigns both online and in person. The in-person advocacy activities have engaged and reached nearly 11,000 people, while the online activities have reached around 18,000. In this article, we will highlight the activities of a youth club at School No. 79. This particular club has organized eight activities, including a flash mob dance, the dissemination of a pre-recorded performance video, a debate competition, a drawing competition, and the sharing of quotes and slogans with messages about ending human trafficking.
They also conducted a training session for peer students to raise awareness of human rights and child trafficking. A total of 1806 people participated in these activities, with 783 of them engaging online.
In order to measure the impact of these awareness raising activities, we conducted a focus group interview with students from the same school.
The results of the interview showed a significant impact on the children's vigilance, particularly in preventing them from becoming victims of human trafficking. Here are some quotes from the students:
Student 1: "I used to work as a waiter during school breaks without even thinking about signing any contracts. I found the lessons on labor exploitation useful, and this year, I will probably require a contract from my employer when I start working."
Student 2: "I stopped talking to strangers online, and I started trying to come home as early as I can without wandering around after school."
Student 3: "I used to think that only girls and women could become victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. However, after learning that men and boys are also possible victims, my perspective has completely changed."
These interviews demonstrate the impact that the youth clubs have had on their peers through their initiatives. The engagement of peer youth through organized activities to raise awareness and educate them on how to protect their peers from risks has proven to be the most impactful approach in preventing children and youth from becoming victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.