Letter Templates

Use this page to copy letter templates to send to individuals, organizations and institutions. Don't forget to edit them with your name/organisation!

The four letter template can be addressed to the following individuals/ organizations/ institutions:

School teachers and educators
Doctors, nurses, midwives and others in the medical community
Government Representatives/ Elected Officials for countries/states where legislation banning FGC exists
Government Representatives/ Elected Officials in for countries/ states with no legislation (law) on FGC

For Government Representatives/ Elected Officials/ Legislators

(For Countries Where Legislation Banning FGC Exists)

Dear [Member of Parliament, Congressman/Congresswoman, Government Representative/ Elected Official],

I/we hope that this letter finds you well. Thank you for taking out the time to engage with this issue during the difficult circumstances of COVID 19.

I/ We am/ are writing to you as concerned students/ citizens to urge you to take action against FGC, as part of Scarlet Udaan’s #EndFGC campaign. Scarlet Udaan is a youth led global activist organisation that aims to raise awareness on Female Genital Cutting (FGC). As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Female Genital Cutting (FGC) comprises of procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

It is an extreme form of violence and discrimination against women, girls and non-binary individuals usually carried before puberty starts. It has severe physical, health, mental and emotional repercussions and is a form of child abuse. The COVID 19 pandemic has further increased the number of girls at risk of being cut, with 2 million girls who would have otherwise been safe now at risk due to the pandemic.

I/We am/are writing to you as concerned citizens and your constituent/s to urge you to take action against FGC. While I/We am/are aware that a law banning the performance of FGC exists in our state/ country, the criminalization of FGC is not enough to put an end to this harmful practice. As FGC is a deeply entrenched social norm, grassroot and community based initiatives are needed to fully eradicate the practice.

FGC is a violation of girls’, women and non-binary individuals’ fundamental human rights. I/ We hope that as our elected representative you will take action by allocating funds to increase the number and accessibility of health care services for survivors of FGC, as well as including FGC in public school education curriculums, enforcing health regulatory associations to penalise health care professionals performing FGC and facilitating discussions with the community on the issue. I/ We hope that you will support adopting a holistic community approach combined with legal sanctions to end this major human rights violation.

FGC is a violation of girls’, women and non-binary individuals’ fundamental human rights. Help us by taking action so that we can all collectively increase mobilisation and achieve our aim of eradicating FGC by 2030.

I/ We look forward to your public support and commitment towards ending FGC.

Thank you.

Warm Regards,

[Name]

For Government Representatives/ Elected Officials/ Legislators

(For Countries with NO Legislation on FGC)

Dear [Member of Parliament/ Congressperson/ Government Representative/ Elected Official],

I/ We hope that this letter finds you well. Thank you for taking out the time to engage with this issue during the difficult circumstances of COVID 19.

I/ We am/ are writing to you as concerned students/ citizens to urge you to take action against FGC, as part of Scarlet Udaan’s #EndFGC campaign. Scarlet Udaan is a youth led global activist organisation that aims to raise awareness on Female Genital Cutting (FGC). As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Female Genital Cutting (FGC) comprises of procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

FGC is an extreme form of violence and discrimination against women, girls and non-binary individuals usually carried before puberty starts. It has severe physical, health, mental and emotional repercussions and is a form of child abuse. The COVID 19 pandemic has further increased the number of girls at risk of being cut, with 2 million girls who would have otherwise been safe now at risk due to the pandemic.

I/We am/are writing to you as concerned citizens and your constituent/s to urge you to take action against FGC by raising the issue in the Parliament/ the Legislative Assembly/ the Legislative Council/ the Congress/ Senate to pass a law recognising the practice and criminalizing it, thus making it illegal to carry out FGC in our state/country. Currently, our country does not have any laws banning the practice of FGC, which means that there are no consequences for people who perform FGC and no safeguards for children at risk. I/We hope that criminalizing and banning the practice will be the first step towards ending FGC and protecting the human rights of at risk girls’, women and non-binary individuals.

FGC is a violation of girls’, women and non-binary individuals’ fundamental human rights. Help us by taking action so that we can all collectively increase mobilisation and achieve our aim of eradicating FGC by 2030.

I/ We look forward to your public support and commitment towards ending FGC.

Thank you.

Warm Regards,

[Name]

For Doctors/ Nurses/ MidWives/ Medical Professionals/ all Health Care Professionals

Dear [Doctor/ Nurse/ Medical Professional/ MidWives/ all Health Care Professional],

I/We hope that this letter finds you well. Thank you for taking out the time to engage with this issue during the difficult circumstances of COVID 19.

I/ We am/ are writing to you as concerned students/ citizens to urge you to take action against FGC, as part of Scarlet Udaan’s #EndFGC campaign. Scarlet Udaan is a youth led global activist organisation that aims to raise awareness on Female Genital Cutting (FGC). As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Female Genital Cutting (FGC) comprises of procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

It is an extreme form of violence and discrimination against women, girls and non-binary individuals usually carried out before puberty starts. It has severe physical, health, mental and emotional repercussions and is a form of child abuse.

FGC is a global concern and according to UNICEF data, 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGC and an estimated 68 million are at risk of being cut by 2030 if the practice continues. The COVID 19 pandemic has further increased the number of girls at risk of being cut, with 2 million girls who would have otherwise been safe now at risk due to the pandemic.

This concerns all health care professionals as the medicalization of FGC is a serious issue. WHO describes this as any situation wherein a health care professional belonging to any category takes part in the practice of FGC, whether at a (public or private) hospital, clinic, home or elsewhere. The percentage of girls cut by traditional practitioners has decreased steadily, while the percentage of girls cut by health care personnel has increased from 55 percent in 1995 to 82 percent in 2014.

Involving and engaging with medical and health care professionals is crucial to end FGC. It is imperative to provide medical professionals information regarding the laws against FGC and its medicalisation. Ways in which the medical community can help in ending this harmful practice include incorporating FGC and its health consequences in curriculums in medical schools, conducting training programmes for practising medical professionals, and enforcing clear guidelines and penalties for those who perform FGC by health regulatory agencies.

FGC is a violation of girls’, women and non-binary individuals’ fundamental human rights. Help us by taking action so that we can all collectively increase mobilisation and achieve our aim of eradicating FGC by 2030.

Thank you.

Warm Regards,

[Name]

For School Teachers and Educators

Dear [School Teacher/Head Teacher/ Principal/ School Director/ School Administrator],

I/we hope that this letter finds you well. Thank you for taking out the time to engage with this issue during the difficult circumstances of COVID 19.

I/ We am/ are writing to you as concerned students/ citizens to urge you to take action against FGC, as part of Scarlet Udaan’s #EndFGC campaign. Scarlet Udaan is a youth led global activist organisation that aims to raise awareness on Female Genital Cutting (FGC). As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Female Genital Cutting (FGC) comprises of procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

It is an extreme form of violence and discrimination against women, girls and non-binary individuals. It has severe physical, mental and emotional repercussions and is a form of child abuse. It is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15 and most commonly before puberty starts.

FGC is a global concern and according to UNICEF data, 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGC and an estimated 68 million are at risk of being cut by 2030 if the practice continues. The COVID 19 pandemic has further increased the number of girls at risk of being cut, with 2 million girls who would have otherwise been safe now at risk due to the pandemic.

Schools and educational institutions can help the fight against FGC by including it in the syllabus of comprehensive sexuality education imparted to students, by training and educating school teachers about the practice, helping students understand and engage with the issue, supporting parents by facilitating conversations about FGC with their children and identifying at risk children.

FGC is a violation of girls’, women and non-binary individuals’ fundamental human rights. Help us by taking action so that we can all collectively increase mobilisation and achieve our aim of eradicating FGC by 2030.

Thank you.

Warm Regards,

[Name]

PLEASE NOTE!

If you are an individual sending a letter to any of the above-mentioned individuals/institutions, please don’t forget to scratch out the “We” and add your name at the end of the letter.

If you are an organisation sending a letter to any of the above-mentioned individuals/institutions, please don’t forget to scratch out the “I” and add the name of your organisation at the end of the letter.

Watch and learn about FGM/C!

The Truth About FGM video discusses where it happens, the different types of FGM/C and who it happens to, take a look!

FGM Cartoon

Increase your knowledge using the video above to learn about different experiences of FGM across the globe.

These two videos are just two resources of many, that begin to explain the realities of FGM/C.

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