Girls missing school because of poverty

[user1496170327]

Hello Everyone!

Thanks to everyone who suggested posting in this thread!

I'm a teenage girl who's started a campaign to help girls who can't afford sanitary products.

Some of you may have read recently that girls across the UK skip school because they can't face the shame of going to school without adequate sanitary care.

Some use socks, toilet roll and sellotape, or even newspaper. Young girls are living in such extreme poverty, and I believe this must be discussed and addressed, especially when this can harm their health.

I was absolutely horrified that this is happening in Britain and felt that something had to be done. So, I'm calling on the government to provide free sanitary provision for girls in need, as a first step. I'm writing to MPs every day and the response, so far, has been really positive. I think that this is something that can happen with enough support!

I'm really hoping that you will agree that this is so very important- that all girls should be able to access essential care and go to school with confidence and that we should not be disadvantaged because of our gender. May I ask you to add your name to my petition to the government, and if you could share on social media, that would be amazing!

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

I'm writing an article for a newspaper about period poverty in schools, and if you've been in this dreadful situation yourself, I'd really appreciate it if you could get in touch, if you're happy to!

Thank you so much for your support!! I really appreciate it, and I believe that if enough people want to change this situation, we can make it happen. Thanks again!

[email protected]

Good on you!

It's a useless parent issue.

Sometimes it may be but often people really ARE that poor. Regardless, girls are suffering this humiliation and need help.

I have a relatively comfortable life now but when I was a teenager (many, many years ago) we were dirt poor because my father contracted a rare disease which left him a permanent invalid, and my mother was his full time carer. I always got sanpro but my tights were darned over and over again and there were times when we couldn't afford toothpaste and had to use salt. (My teeth are fine, btw, thanks for asking.) Even my closest friends don't know this. We had some help from family too.

My mother had to look after my dad, my younger sibling (born the year before dad got sick) and me, plus when dad was in hospital, sometimes for weeks, take 2 buses each way to visit him and get back before school finished. I'd hardly call that useless.

It seems to me people here have no clue what it's like to be really poor. OP I've signed and shared on FB and Twitter. Well done for doing this.

Girls can reach puberty at much younger than 10.

When I first moved out, sanitary products cost too much for me.
My wage was 925 and my bills were higher than that. (It was a bad time, rent alone was 650)

I used socks, stuffed with loo roll, as I could wash the sock, and throw he loo roll away. And I could get loo roll for free anywhere.
My periods are very heavy, and very long, so months when I had enough to add protection to the food bill, I could only afford Ines or two packs. Or the cheap stuff. So that many one pad or tampon overnight, one during the day - 12 hours a piece. The socks were better for me. It made me feel disgusting, and so ashamed. But nobody knew, and I never asked for help. I was 17-19 and in my first job, no had moved out due to fights with my parents.

I once did a temp shift at a nursery, just for the day to help out and get some extra money cash in hand, an they had tampons, towels etc in the staff loos, and I stole loads. I'm ashamed, but needs must.

Now I'm older, have quite a lot of money, husband children and can still acutely remember that shame.

I think his idea is great, and I do think girls should get more help, but the actual application needs to be well thought out. It's. Horrible. It's totally isolating, and there's a lot of shame around periods anyway, without adding this in for teen girls. It's such a shame it's still happening.

LouiseBrooks, you are so brave to have shared your story with us. You're right that people don't know what it's like to be poor. But as you've stated, it happens.
I've also known people who have had literally pounds to live on for the entire week- to buy food and medicine. Where was the sanpro going to come from? Well, it wouldn't. T-shirts would be cut up and stuffed into knickers and that's the horrid and ugly truth. It happens and it's still happening.

If you have a minute check this out www.facebook.com/theredboxprojectuk/
It's a group set up by friends of mine to combat the same issue.
They provide Sanitary basics to schools in a big red box, usually left with a welfare officer or receptionist so any girl caught without Sanitary protection gets it and those who need it can take packs away with them.
It's slowly spreading nationwide and they are looking for more 'box coordinators' for schools - basically means you liase with the school as to when they need more products and get people to donate money or products for the boxes.

It's a useless parent issue.

Or domestic violence, or being made homeless. Or having your benefits stopped, or losing your job, or one of your 2 or 3 jobs.

Bearfrills Wed 31-May-17 13:06:11
"and those of you who have no money for essentials on here seem to have internet access constantly but a pack of pads is too much.

I have plenty of money for essentials thanks, I've been very fortunate to have never had to live in poverty but having privilege doesn't mean I can't empathise with those who don't."

THIS.

I posted recently about a friend of mine with severe osteoporosis who had her PIP stopped because the man who came out to evaluate her did not see why being unable to either sit or stand should prevent her from carrying out daily tasks. Fortunately my friend did not become this bad until after her children were grown-up and able to fend for themselves, but that was hardly due to superior planning.

Also fortunately, she (like me) is old enough to have been able to buy a house while house prices were still low and mortgages easier to get.

What would she have done if her children had still been little and her husband had walked out? Earned a living? How?

Surely school nurses should supply them? I remember popping into the nurse's office for some pads in high school because I'd forgotten. It's much more of an essential need than condoms.

I stay in leith Edinburgh and my local community centre gives san pro shampoo and soap to girls under 25. I think thats a great idea.

At my school there was, for whatever reason, A big stack of boxes of cheap-brand sanitary towels in the girls changing room. I never saw anyone take them but the pile would slowly get smaller and smaller and then regenerate itself. Someone was taking them.

I have experience from both sides.Brought up by a single parent alcoholic dad -very poor due to his depression and drinking.Useless parent indeed -but that wasn't my fault.I remember using rolled up tissue paper countless times and once leaked all over my chair in a lesson.We really did not have enough money as sometimes we couldn't eat. I was too embarrassed to get the tokens for free school meals and would go home for lunch and have potatoes/bread and marg.I have worked in pastoral care in a school for a few years now.I buy San products and the school pays for them.Not just for the odd occassion a girl or teacher gets caught short but for the regular girls who have parents who don't or can't pay for theirs.I write a cause for concern form to log it as in my case it was a sign of neglect at home.

Signed and shared!

There is no excuse for this, but many underlying reasons.

How to implement is something of a debate. I would question why the cut off is FSM? So many other squeezed families or girls unable to access these products for a variety of reasons.

How about using the chemists? The very well hidde Minor Ailments Service gives out medication for free to those under 16 without having to see a doctor (hay fever medication, acne treatment, skin conditions, verrucas, head lice etc). Whilst not an ailment (!) it's and effective way of getting things that are needed out there, in a controlled and auditable way. No misappropriation of funds risk etc. Just needs more publicising!!

The issue with school nurses providing them is that they need a governmental budget for purchases. I've seen girls under stress during their period time because they can't make a packet of pads last.
Signed and shared. Brilliant initiative!

Should have said, I've signed it. And I've missed school in my younger days because of this. Parental neglect, not prioritising needs when spending the very little money we had.

Signed. I give packs of tampons and towels to the food bank.

cattie thanks. I still can't talk about it IRL but sadly my story is nothing compared to some on here. We had family who could offer some help and parents who cared about us. Some kids don't have that.

The reason I started this for girls on FSM is because in the current financial climate, the government (whoever they may be on 8th June) is really unlikely to provide all schoolgirls with free sanitary products. It won't happen right now.

In allowing those on FSM to access sanitary provision as a first step, a good proportion of girls in need (and I accept that not all girls in need are on FSM) will be able to go to school with confidence.

The House of Lords is backing this. Baroness Burt has been in touch and I'll be discussing this with her after the election, to see how to make it work.

But I would love for it to eventually be rolled out to all schoolgirls.

As a schoolgirl myself, I know having a period can be debilitating, but to have the additional stress of not having any provision is not beyond awful.

Please carry on signing and sharing as the more signatures we get, the more likely the government will listen!

30y ago my poorer friends would have to borrow/beg pads for things likePE when their mega cheap pads were like mattress., and yes a lot of really cheap ones are not the thinest or nicest things going. They didn't want pads showing throughout shorts and yes you could see them.

We never had much money and I always had heavy periods it was struggle to have enough not to worry and to change he whenever you felt like not spending lessons or going home knowing you were flooding but not having anything else to use.

We don't expect people to bring toilet paper into schools and if someone had a nose bleed you would t say I'm sorry you should have brought box of tissues just bleed away till you get home. BIt when it's a woman bleeding from
Womb totally your own problem!

I've tweeted the link to Labour, asking if this is something Labour will get behind, Pointing out that although it is addressed to May, she may not be PM in a week or so.

I've emailed the link to my Labour candidate and my current MSP. Waiting to hear back!

Signed and shared and Hilda you are very naive if you believe what you wrote.

Signed and Shared. I'm quite taken aback at the lack of empathy of some posters here.

We are discussing children here. And yes, poverty is what leads to girls not being able to afford sanpro. Not choice.

Would any girl choose to beg and borrow if they had the option of getting hold of them?

With the reluctance to talk about periods, I wonder how much of this goes on without it being flagged.

I used to teach in a college, I made a point of telling all my students (both male and female in case males knew anyone that needed help) that if they were struggling for sanitary products there was some in a cupboard in our classroom that would be available to use no questions asked. It gutted me seeing how many girls took me up on the offer. The cost of them came out my wages but I didn't care. Signed and shared OP.