Throughout their life, menstruating people spend nearly seven years bleeding. Over those years, biology follows its course regardless of financial or any external situation the person might have. As women are 4% more likely than men to live in extreme poverty, they are often left with the scary choice between buying tampons or feeding themselves—or their kids. That is one of the several issues surrounding period poverty, a problem that's increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to research on the impact of COVID-19 on period poverty conducted by Plan International U.K., access to menstrual products is even less available. Consequently, the number of risks tied to menstruating people seeking alternative ways to deal with their periods has increased.
According to research on the impact of COVID-19 on period poverty conducted by Plan International U.K., access to menstrual products is even less available. Consequently, the number of risks tied to menstruating people seeking alternative ways to deal with their periods has increased.
The lack of access to menstrual supplies, for example, is leading to domestic violence. Low-income countries are registering stories from several girls cutting up their blankets to make homemade pads and being beaten by spouses and fathers for ruining the blankets. Following that, teen pregnancies are increasing, partly due to transactional sex for pads.
As a result, we observe a higher school dropout rate for girls that is recurrent in those kinds of situations. Sierra Leone is a great example. During the Ebola outbreak and closures, teenage pregnancies increased by up to 65 percent in some communities. The girls’ enrollment decreased by 16 percent when schools reopened.
It's impossible to deny the need for changing that scenario towards greater equality. For that, it's expected that governments align with social organizations that have worked to solve that problem. The United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), for example, sends kits with period products to women while teaching them how to make sanitary reusable pads.
With the proper alliances and social union, we can ensure dignity to menstruating people, walking towards the achievement of human rights.