News

Written by:  Elif Ozturk 

In the midst of her math lesson, a young girl feels something leak through her pants. She nervously looks at her chair and sees a red stain. Her breath stops as she undergoes a moment of panic. She doesn't have a pad or tampon with her. Her school does not have any to offer her and she cannot afford to buy one. This is one of many variations of this common experience; a woman at work, a woman in her own home, a woman banished to a bucket. This is following girls from puberty to adulthood. Period Poverty is the lack of products needed during one's menstrual cycle. It is a pervasive issue amongst all communities throughout the world.

For the past three years, I have worked on legislation within Minnesota to address this problem. Across the United States, women and girls in poverty are forced to create makeshift pads out of public restroom toilet paper or other wadded-up paper products, exposing them to bacteria that can lead to yeast infections and urinary tract infections. Girls are often forced to even use younger siblings diapers. I drafted a bill that funds menstrual products in all schools in my state which was passed last May. Progress is being made, but we need to continue this fight in order to make national change.

Period Poverty is prominent across the world. More than 500 million women and girls lack access to the products needed for their period. In India, close to 23 million girls drop out of school annually after they begin menstruating. The primary reasons for this are a lack of clean toilets in school as well as a lack of access to sanitary products. There are millions of families who cannot afford to buy menstrual hygiene products for their women and girls. In many countries including Kenya and Uganda, girls are forced to miss multiple days of school when they have their period - or even drop out of school altogether. This denies girls their right to an education and often shapes the rest of their lives. In Thailand, the cheapest menstrual pads cost over 12% of one's daily minimum wage. In Venezuela, the price of tampons increased by 1800% in 2016. In Nepal, approximately 72% of adolescent girls live in menstrual huts during their period. Health effects of period poverty range from mental and emotional pain to reproductive and urinary tract infections. Not only do the health effects threaten the lives of our girls, we have created stigmas around a woman's period and in turn, we force them to experience shame, pressure, and a lack of respect that becomes internalized.

There are many solutions to period poverty. Governments can provide schools with funding for menstrual products by implementing new policies. Private sector companies can provide employees with products just as they do with toilet paper. Governments can exempt menstrual products from taxes to encourage affordability or seek corporate philanthropy from menstrual product brands. In Scotland, period products are free to access for all. In France this year, the government announced reusable sanitary products would become free for people under 25. We can look at the success of these actions in other countries in order to find the proper, viable solutions within our specific communities.

Tampons and pads are necessities. They hold the same purpose as toilet paper, which is almost always available for use. Why is that when they make such a difference in a woman's life? This ongoing issue will never end around the world without the assistance of governments. We must work to destigmatize periods and bring comprehensive health education to a completely normal bodily function. We must provide young women with as many resources as possible in order to mitigate the effects of period poverty amongst low-income and rural communities. We are robbing our young girls of an education. We are robbing our women of the right to work. Period poverty is impeding on a woman's right to be respected as a human being. We must take action now.

Are you looking for some help? Here's the Top Tips for Mobilizing Menstrual Equity within Your Community in the documents area of this page.

Document: Top Tips for Mobilizing Menstrual Equity within Your Community