Access to period products is a necessity, not a luxury.
The need to access period products exists for every young person who experiences menstruation including young women, girls, transgender, and gender diverse youth, in ways that meet diverse needs and cultural perspectives.
I'm calling on the ACT government to provide free pads and tampons in government schools. Every state and territory must follow the lead of the Victorian state government who began providing free period products in schools in 2020.
Periods are a fact of life for half the population. Despite this, young people don’t always have access to the products they need to feel comfortable at school, engage in their learning, and manage what should be a normal and healthy part of life.
Poor access to period products is known to affect students’ attendance and engagement at school. Students also miss out on sporting and cultural activities and can feel embarrassed and ashamed, affecting their achievement and wellbeing.
Providing access to free period products to those who need it will:
- Reduce barriers to access and improve school attendance, sports involvement and tertiary participation
- Improve child and youth wellbeing
- Reduce financial strain on families experiencing poverty/material hardship, and
- Promote positive gender norms and reduce stigmatisation of menstruation.
In the first instance, pads and tampons should be provided. These products are easy to use and appropriate for a broad range of students’ age, developmental, and cultural needs in a schooling context. The Australian Government should then consider alternative products, including menstrual cups and eco-friendly sanitary underwear, as the successful initiative rolls out.
In 2020 the Victorian state government were the first to provide free pads and tampons in government schools – ensuring all students feel comfortable managing their periods and reduce period stigma, while saving families hundreds of dollars each year.
The initiative cost $20.7 million dollars and included an information campaign for students about managing periods, which has been implemented in over 1500 schools.
The pads and tampons are freely available in school bathrooms, helping to ease any anxiety and embarrassment around menstruation for students and allowing them to focus on their studies.
I'm calling on the ACT government to do their bit to end period poverty in our country. Let’s see if all other Australian states and territories can follow Victoria’s (and NZ’s!) lead…
Why Global Citizens Should Care
Period poverty refers to a lack of access to access to products needed to safely manage menstruation due to poverty, stigma, misinformation or inadequate sanitation. Without safe products, students who menstruate can be forced to stay home and miss class or use items like socks or newspapers to manage their periods. Global Citizen campaigns on the United Nations' Global Goals, including goal 5 for gender equality. Join the movement and take action here.
Free period care products like tampons and pads will now be available in all New South Wales (NSW) public schools as part of a trial to tackle period poverty across the state, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The NSW Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott said during budget estimates Wednesday that no student should miss out on their education because they cannot afford menstrual products each month. The trial, Stott said, will work to minimize menstrual shame, save families money, make school more inclusive and improve student well-being.
Scott said the experiment would provide insight into the most effective way to roll the initiative out permanently.
"We are developing work on a pilot program around this, and details will be emerging on that shortly," Scott told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We are looking to test how we could effectively roll this out.”
The NSW Department of Education will trial a program to hand out free pads and tampons to address period poverty in schools | @JordsBaker@Laura_R_Chung//t.co/s8sufCyZWP
— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) March 3, 2021
The issue of period poverty has been front and centre in Australia over the last few years.
In 2018, the nation made the historic decision to axe the controversial 18-year "tampon tax," with politicians voting unanimously to stop tampons and sanitary pads from being classified as non-essential items and slapped with a 10% goods and services tax.
More recently, Victoria and South Australia became the first two states to offer period products in all government schools freely.
Then, earlier this year, 23-year-old period poverty activist Isobel Marshall became the Young Australian of the Year for her work as the co-founder of social enterprise, TABOO. The organisation sells organic pads and tampons, with 100% of the profits put toward fighting period poverty in Sierra Leone and Uganda. Marshall also routinely helps provide free pads and tampons to women in her home state of South Australia.
"The natural biological function experienced by half the world's population is still a major reason for inequality," she said during her acceptance speech, according to the ABC. "Periods should not be a barrier to education. They should not cause shame, and menstrual products should be accessible and affordable. They are not a luxury or a choice."