The Rise of #MeToo in Mongolia: List of events forming a movement
In 2017, #MeToo came to Mongolia before the globally viral hashtag movement. However, a movement has not been formed until April 2021. Here are the list of events that formed the “common cause” officially starting a promising lasting change.
About a month or two ago, I was catching up with a friend of mine over a video call and somehow our discussion ended up with why #MeToo never really continued its momentum in Mongolia back in 2017. The month of April 2021 during a two week lockdown throughout the country’s worst time dealing with Covid-19, the #MeToo actually rose! What happened in between June 2017 to April 2021. A complete timeline that strengthened the public’s support as well as over 1000 anonymous rape stories coming out from women across the country.
Timeline
June 2017- A young woman (Saranzaya) was raped by a male MP (Gantulga) and her sister officially started one of the most high scandal political scandals in Mongolia with an immediate reporting to the Police, followed by complaints to Authority against Corruption.
October 2017- The Global #MeToo movement begins virally with over 12 million hashtags within the first 24 hours on social media.
March 2018- БАНДААШАА ТАТ (Keep Your Underwear On) march takes place against sexual violence against children. The slogan was related to the former MP rape case. No social media hashtag
June 2018- The youngest law maker, MP Gantulga submits his resignation letter to the Parliament Speaker
March 2019- One Billion Rising Mongolia — Women’s Wall for Solidarity organized by Civil Society Organizations in Gender Equality addressing all forms of discrimination that lead to all forms of violence! A diverse, intersectional, and a historical demonstration led by lead women’s right CSOs
October 2019- Mongolian Court Chief Odbayar gropes a female attendant on a Korean Air flight from Ulaanbaatar to Incheon, violating the Aviation Security Act. #ОдбаярОгцор call for resignation hashtag starts on social media, but didn’t grow.
November 2019- Former MP Gantulga gets sentenced to two years in prison for the rape and attempted rape of two women
April 2020- Supreme Court upholds former MP Gantulga’s 2 year case. A protest occurs outside the Supreme Court with demonstrating underwear a year ago while the reviewal was in discussion.
November 2020- Mongolia goes “Orange-er than Ever”- Covid-19 lockdown creates rise in Social media movement
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign for 2020’s theme was “No More Violence: End Gender-Based Violence at Home, in the Workplace, and in Public Spaces”#ХүчирхийллийгЦэглэе
Despite the Covid-19 lockdown with the first local transmission in November, social media blew up with the virtual campaign this time!
January 2021- TV footage showed a woman (tested positive with coronavirus) and her newborn baby being moved to an infectious disease centre wearing only hospital pyjamas and plastic slippers, despite temperatures dipping to minus 25 degrees Celsius. The inhumane treatment of a woman who just gave birth to a newborn humiliates Mongolians. Shows a clear incoherence of women-friendly policies of Mongolia and the actual practice of treatment.
January 2021- around 5,000 mostly young protesters gathered in a square opposite government buildings in the capital Ulaanbaatar. #УОКцор calling for resignation of State Emergency Authority for its in-humane treatment of its people throughout Covid-19 years.
January 2021- Prime Minister of Mongolia resigns- Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and his cabinet resigns amid the protest.
March 2021- New Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene makes sexist statement in International Women’s Month- In one of his public statement regarding the issues of women’s lack of participation in the Mongolian economy, PM states the only way to address this can be “sending women to serve the military” raising social media scandal once again.
April 10, 2021 (Mongolia in lockdown)- A two well known singers (Male Niciton Baachka and Female- Serchmaa Sally) shares a disturbing live video on social media where the male shares a “joke” about an event occurred in the past where a man raped a woman after intoxicating her with mixes of alcohol. The language and terms used, plus their laughter about the “joke” humiliate the public. #Boycot hashtags begins covering all the recent scandals on influential people of the Pop Culture committing all forms of violence from intimate partner violence to sharing “jokes” about sexual violence revealed on social media. Some TVs announced to officially stop airing shows including the artists, strengthening boycot initiatives.
April 11, 2021- Both artists share a public Apology note on their facebook pages, which humiliates communities on social media that the statements were avoiding acknowledging that sexual jokes perpetuate rape culture.
The same day, young woman Sunderya shares a public post about an anonymous male MP in power who allegedly harassed her and many others sexually.
April 12, 2021- Metoo.mn community page is created. #MeTooMongolia hashtag gets over 1,4 million mentions within the first day.
April 13, 2021- Serchmaa Sally joins the movement.
April 14, 2021- #MeTooMongolia movement public group is created. 5.3 thousand members join within 3 days, receives over 1,000 anonymous stories from victims/survivors. The total engagement reaches 2 million and supporters reach over 30,000 (facebook profile picture frame).
The power of social media played an important role to build on the momentum of #MeTooMongolia and other anti violence campaign throughout the past year in Covid-19 world. The coverage in social media heightened the campaigns visibility this time. All the violence related scandals since 2017 slowly increased the public awareness on accepting and acknowledging existence of forms of violence and influenced many to speak up against violence.
Just like how the global #MeToo was covered positively in media in the beginning followed by a significant variation largely consistent with local and traditional ideological alignments such as slut shaming, victim blaming, avoidance of the topic, politicizing the narrative, #MeTooMongolia may still face similar timeline.
Avoiding popular feminism and maintaining the momentum without politicization, continuous support from celebrities, politicians and the general public will engine the continuation of the “core” message of the movement. Despite the most challenging times of Covid-19 spike throughout the country, may there be Justice in the end with #MeTooMongolia.