National Hygiene Week: Tackling Hygiene and Period Poverty
Tackling Hygiene and Period Poverty in the UK. How we can all help.
We all know periods can be painfully annoying, but for some, period poverty and hygiene poverty turn this monthly pain into a full-blown crisis. Shockingly, 1 in 10 girls in the UK can't afford period products, resorting to using things like toilet paper instead. It's now time to talk about how to help combat period poverty, and where reusable period products can help as part of the solution.
Breaking Barriers: Tackling Period Poverty Head-On
Period poverty is real, and it's happening right here, right now. According to stats from National Hygiene Week, around 14 million people in the UK struggle to afford basic hygiene essentials, whilst around 3.4 million people are affected by period poverty. Unfortunately, these figures are only expected to increase in the coming years, especially with the ongoing economic crisis.
Reusable Period Products - How can they help?
It is estimated that a staggering 11,000 items single use period products will be used in one person’s lifetime. That is a lot of plastic waste and it’s a waste of money; people are literally throwing it in the bin. You might be reading this thinking but what about the upfront cost of reusables and it is a fair point, surely if people can’t afford single use, then reusables are out of the question? However, there are schemes out there giving access to free period products that include reusables. Like FARESHARE – a Scottish redistribution charity; the DofE Period Poverty scheme - launched by the government to ensure free access to period products in schools across England, and the eXcel Scotland framework which gives access to free reusable period products in Schools and Universities across Scotland. The list is growing too as more organisations come on board. The big advantage of reusables is that they last for years so don’t run out, saving waste, and money, in the long run. NORA are suppliers to all of these schemes.
Let's Get Real: De-stigmatizing Periods
Add period shaming into period poverty and you add insult to injury. Periods aren’t something to be hidden away or shamed. They’re a normal part of life, and we need to be speaking about them openly, thankfully this is beginning to change. This National Hygiene Week we are encouraging you to join in and advocate to help get rid of those period taboos, and raise awareness of period poverty. Follow others and share articles on your own social media, shout out about any free period product schemes you come across. The more we can help each other the faster this change will happen. Here are some advocates on Instagram we recommend:
@goauntflow
@bloodygoodperiod
@menstruationmatters.uk
@wen_uk
@thepadproject
Look them up, get informed, start to share and you can help put an end to period poverty too.
