Sample:

Honorable Minister:

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism to Stand against Rape, I am respectfully writing to inquire about programs under your portfolio that seek to prevent violence against women and girls and to reduce gender inequality. In particular, Honorable Minister, I would appreciate your information on the following:

• What programs and policies are in place to protect women and girls from violence both inside and outside their homes, including rape and sexual abuse?

• How does your Ministry liaise with the Police Department, the Attorney General’s office or the appropriate agency to train first responders addressing gender-based violence cases? What programs are in place to protect victims?

• In light of the widely acknowledged, disproportionate impact of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons on women and children, what steps is the Minister currently taking, or contemplating taking, with respect to ensuring greater participation by Women Decision and Policy makers in identifying workable solutions, in addition to promoting implementation of relevant international treaties, that seek to address this trade?

• How does your Ministry implement laws to address gender-based violence and which mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability?

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• It is estimated that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner (not including sexual harassment) at some point in their lives.

• It is estimated that of the 87,000 women who were intentionally killed in 2017 globally, more than half (50,000-58%) were killed by intimate partners or family members, meaning that 137 women across the world are killed by a member of their own family every day.

• Adult women account for nearly half (49%) of all human trafficking victims detected globally. Women and girls together account for 72%, with girls representing more than three out of every four child trafficking victims. More than four out of every five trafficked women and nearly three out of every four trafficked girls are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

• It is estimated that there are 650 million women and girls in the world today who were married before age 18.

• Approximately 15 million adolescent girls (aged 15 to 19) worldwide have experienced forced sex (forced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts) at some point in their life.

• Globally, one out of three students (aged 11 and 13 to 15 years) have been bullied by their peers at school at least on one day in the past month, with girls and boys equally likely to experience bullying. However, boys are more likely to experience physical bullying than girls, and girls are more likely to experience psychological bullying, particularly being ignored or left out or subject to nasty rumors.

• Eighty-two per cent of women parliamentarians who participated in a study conducted by the Inter-parliamentary Union in 39 countries across 5 regions reported having experienced some form of psychological violence (remarks, gestures and images of a sexist or humiliating sexual nature made against them or threats and/or mobbing) while serving their terms. They cited social media as the main channel through which such psychological violence is perpetrated.

*Source: UN Women