Write a letter for the Jarawa

1. Write your letter, then 2. Complete it and 3. Mail it

A Jarawa woman and boy by the side of the Andaman Trunk Road
© Salomé

Although it is illegal for outsiders to enter the Jarawa reserve, poachers are hunting the animals they depend on and bringing disease, violence and exploitation.

Adding to the tribe’s problems, the islands’ main highway (known as the Andaman Trunk Road) cuts through their forest, bringing poachers, settlers and tourists. In 2002, India’s supreme court ordered that the road should be closed, but the local authorities have refused to comply.

In 1999 and 2006, the Jarawa suffered outbreaks of measles – a disease that has wiped out many tribes worldwide following contact with outsiders.

The government’s ‘Jarawa Policy’ states that the tribe should have ‘maximum autonomy with minimum interference’ in their lives. Survival is urging the authorities to adhere to these principles.

How you can help

Please write to the Indian government using this text or your own words:

Shri Amit Shah
Minister of Home Affairs
North Block
Central Secretariat
New Delhi – 110001
India

February 28, 2021

Dear Shri Shah,

Will my letter make a difference?
Yes. Time and again, letters from Survival supporters have called governments and organisations to account. Policies have changed and lives have been saved.

Post or email?
We always provide an email address where we can get one, and where we think a message will get through. Sometimes we provide a postal address too. Posting a letter is always the most effective way of making your views known, by far. If you can, please post a letter.