Free Flow

According to the UNHCR there are at least 82.4 million people in the world who are displaced. Of these 20.7 million are refugees and 4.1 million are asylum-seekers. Women make up half of these people. In their struggle to leave their homes for safety, sanitary products are often an after-thought. However, these specific need not be overlooked in emergencies by aid organisations as women do not stop menstruating in a crisis and their needs must be met. Although according to research there is an improvement in the matter, there is still more that can be done, especially with the fact that most decision-makers are men.   A study by Global One found that in camps in Syria and Lebanon, almost 60 percent of women didn’t even have access to underwear, with more yet lacking access to period products. This leads to these women resorting to use alternatives such as old rags or tissue to manage their period. However, the issue is not limited to the lack of access to sanitary products. In such cam