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Showing posts from December, 2020

Free for all - why we still need to do more to tackle period poverty in the UK.

Free for all - why we still need to do more to tackle period poverty in the UK.  By Kate McGreary Believe it or not, some good has come out of 2020. On the 24 th of November Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all. After a four-year campaign, there is now a legal duty on local authorities to ensure that free items such as tampons and sanitary pads are available to "anyone who needs them". [1] This is no doubt a momentous bill to be passed in combatting period poverty. Currently about 10% of girls in the UK have been unable to afford period products; 15% have struggled to afford them; and 19% have changed to a less suitable product due to cost. [2] This bill also aims to understand how periods and the stigma surrounding them impact upon girl’s education - with researchers finding almost half of girls surveyed have missed school because of their period. [3] However, the fact the Scotland is the only country in the world to prov