Periods - Please help. This is wrong!

[annhar79]

Hi All,

Today, I heard about a 13yr old girl who ended up in hospital because she used socks instead of pads when on her period - she couldn't afford sanitary products. This is not acceptable in the UK, but it's happening and it's happening in 2017.

Please can you sign this petition to eradicate period poverty from schools. Sanitary provision is NOT a luxury, and periods are not a choice.

It's just totally, totally wrong!!! Girls should have to choose between their education and their period.

This petition to provide free sanitary products to girls from low income families was started by a 17yr old girl.

Link: www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-free-sanitary-products-for-girls-on-free-school-meals-freeperiods

We should support her will to help other schoolgirls! It only takes 15 seconds to sign, I know because I just did it.

Please share so we can change this appalling situation. As a mum of three teenagers, I feel really moved to help. I hope you do too

I'm not sure how to get more visibility for it other than each of us didn't our bit and signing and sharing with everyone we know?
I've shared on FB and tweeted xxx

Signed. Any ideas of who to Tweet? Supermarkets (as they are often Food Bank collection points)? Sanitary Towel makers?

Maybe they could be available where condoms are so sexual health clinics etc.
Could they be something that GPs can prescribe free for kids?
Nobody in the U.K. should have to live like that.

Brilliant. I have tweeted some journalists and asked them to retweet. Also a general tweet to ask my followers to sign.
Definitely worth WA all your friends as people seem to sign and share when it's personalised!

I work in Welfare in a High School. We supply sanpro for emergency use, and any girls can just help themselves. I bulk buy in poundland, and a tenners worth lasts a long time.

There are a few girls who have to use our stocks as their only supply, so I always make sure we have night time pads in the drawer too. I asked one girl who always seemed to take lots, and she explained that her mum and dad did not get their benefits for another few days so there was no money for pads. Why they didn't think to buy her some when they did have money I don't really understand?

The companies that make Always/|LilLets and Tampax used to send us thousands of free samples that lasted all school year, but now they only send a terms worth.

That's a great initiative that your school offers to the girls but I'm not sure how many schools have the money to do this. It's such a lifeline for these girls. Such an excellent thing your school does.

It's important the government helps these girls when schools don't have funds to do so, and the example you have of the girl whose parent didn't provide her with sanpro is an example of how and why this is an issue.

Maybe with the general election on the horizon, they may make the provision of sanpro policy?

I knew a few girls who were in similar situations growing up. They need help quite desperately. Many were from families where they were skipping meals because money was tight so the possibility of having a weeks supply of sanpro was less than slim.

I also WhatsApp'd friends and family and asked them to sign and share. Very positive. Also shared on FB.

Signed.

ShelaghTurner, thank goodness you were there to help your friend.

Your friend was lucky to have had you to help her out. I suspect many weren't as lucky.