Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Police Failing to Provide Tampons/Pads to Women Detainees

59 replies

ALunerExplorer · 04/01/2018 10:06

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42556384

"One woman, it says, had her clothes removed and was dressed in a paper suit.

Despite her having her period, her underwear had been removed and she was refused any sanitary protection.

"She was left in a state of vulnerability sufficient to cause concern for her wellbeing, bleeding in a paper suit, alone in a cell," the ICVA said.

Sherry Ralph, the organisation's chief operating officer, said that custody suites "typically only have one absorbency of tampon and towel available".

"One senior officer described the packs that they have to buy as 'woeful'," she added"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42556384

I wish I could say I was surprised by this. Period poverty is systemic under austerity, and it is the very women most burdened by that who will suffer most from this.

OP posts:
Akire · 04/01/2018 10:49

It’s same in hospitals though. I’ve been admitted twice in emergency and stress caused me start early so nothing with me. Both times no ward had anything to give me, one did produce incontience pad. In the morning in Wheelchair and drip stand had to search hospital for cash point and shop to buy pads and tampons. Of course you should bring own preference if you can but how can hospitals say we don’t have anything to cover a biologicxal need.
If you bleed in hospital after Op it nose bleed we will offer you resources. What you bleed every month for a week, sorry we don’t have anything!

UrsulaPandress · 04/01/2018 10:42

Exactly. If women had always been in power this would be a no brainer. But as it doesn't affect men nothing gets done.

RedToothBrush · 04/01/2018 10:38

Political will is down to political pressure.

Money is always found if, politicians think its a vote loser.

It says much about the lack of involvement of women in the higher ranks of institutions and politics.

And thats the argument to make a fuss about.

Original poster
ALunerExplorer · 04/01/2018 10:34

There isn't a defence.

But neither is there the political will to do anything about it: police services are generally being cut, removed and downsized and this is something that will cost 'too much' money to resolve.

Quite why nobody in government has had the wit to work with companies that produce products in order to try to resolve this, I don't know. Lack of giving a damn, I would imagine

OP posts:
Original poster
ALunerExplorer · 04/01/2018 10:28

Yup - they absolutely should be free. I mean I'm happy to sign a petition to end 'tampon tax', but surely the focus should be making all sanitary products free?

And yes, given that production is a massive private enterprise involving huge international business', that might seem a little ambitious, but even if they removed the tampon tax, women would still struggle to afford decent products.

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 04/01/2018 10:25

Its a human rights act violation. A clear one in my opinion.

Article 3
Prohibition of torture
No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

It is regarded as degrading to be left in soiled sheets or clothing if you are under the care of a health care institution.

Same applies to if you are under the care of police or prison services.

I do not see how you could possibly argue to the contrary. What defence could possibly be used?

LeCroissant · 04/01/2018 10:16

Surely they supply toilet paper? Why not have a box of products available in the toilet area? How bloody hard would that be FFS!!

IrkThePurist · 04/01/2018 10:12

Would that be classed as a form of torture? Would they leave someone with incontinence to sit in their own waste? If that's not acceptable, why is this?

UrsulaPandress · 04/01/2018 10:09

The more I think about the whole issue of period poverty the more I think sanitary protection should be provided free, the way contraceptives are.

And I am normally a small state individual.