Taking Action Against Period Poverty and the Period Taboo with Terri Harris of Bloody Good Period

In the UK, almost a third of girls, women and people who menstruate* face financial difficulties in affording regular menstrual products, highlighting a pressing issue known as period poverty.

This alarming statistic highlights the need to address this issue, which not only has health implications, but also is a matter of solidarity and equal opportunities.

Enter Bloody Good Period, a charity founded in 2016 by its former CEO Gabby Edlin, who discovered the dire lack of support for people who menstruate within charities, food aid and asylum centres. Initially launched on Facebook where people could donate tampons and period products, BGP has since become a pioneering charity – in 2022, it has provided over 119,000 packs of menstrual products to those in need.
The association has also set up an educational programme offering courses on sexual and reproductive health, in order to break the taboos surrounding menstruation.

Recently, Scotland became the first country to provide free period products, and Spain passed the first European menstrual leave law. These changes provide us with a great opportunity to chat with Terri Harris, Bloody Good Period’s Education Programme Manager, to learn about this huge topic, the impact of period poverty on individuals, the charity’s initiatives, and how we can continue to foster open conversations about periods.

1) How does period poverty affect people who menstruate, and what are the specific challenges they face?

All menstruating people have an additional regular cost to take care of their periods and their health by purchasing menstrual products, which are, let us remember, essential and not a luxury item.
With inflation and the continued rise in the cost of everyday items, more and more people are finding themselves having to make increasingly difficult decisions about what essentials they can afford to purchase.

According to a 2023 Action Aid report on menstruation:

- 41% of respondents extend the duration of use of sanitary towels or tampons

- 8% reuse disposable towels

- 37% use tissues or cotton instead of suitable hygiene products

- 13% use socks or other clothing

- And 9% use paper or newspapers.

The use of products diverted from their original function in menstrual use, as well as the 'overuse' of menstrual products, can have serious consequences on health and well-being. This not only exposes the risk of irritation and infection, but can also lead to toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal medical complication. Without access to free and readily available menstrual products, it is difficult to ensure healthy periods for all.

The lack of menstrual products also impacts individuals’ participation in their social, professional and personal lives. The shame and stigma associated with periods, as well as the silence surrounding them, impacts how those who menstruate engage in daily activities, effectively hindering their ability to learn, work, exercise and move around in public spaces.

2) Could you share some key initiatives that Bloody Good Period has undertaken since its launch and how you ensure that they become accessible and inclusive for all people, regardless of their background or identity?

Intersectionality, open-mindedness, inclusion and equality, both in terms of opportunities and gender, are at the heart of each of our initiatives. All our communications have inclusive language. We recognise that not all women necessarily have periods - various reasons such as menopause, diet, stress, or trans identity can explain this, but fundamentally, we believe in the inclusion of all in the discussion about menstruation.

We have also established an expert forum with which we regularly exchange (and with which we organize physical meetings eight times a year) in order to constantly improve our services and our commitment.

3) Can you tell us about the biggest challenges the association has faced during its mission?

The impact of the rising cost of living, as well as the migration crisis we are experiencing, has resulted in a strong growth in the number of people who need free access to period products. We have seen a 43% increase in the number of product requests we receive each month, from 42,909 packages requested from January to June 2022 to 61,160 packages from January to June 2023. We also currently have 90 organizations on our waiting list, which we are unfortunately unable to help due to lack of resources.

All this has been compounded by the fact that since 2022, the prices of period products have seen a price increase of up to 57%**.

4) In today’s society, menstruation remains a taboo subject. What initiatives can be taken to reduce the stigma surrounding it and promote a more open and inclusive dialogue?

Encouraging open communication while avoiding euphemisms is key. For example, referring to tampons and pads as “period products” rather than “menstrual protection” is crucial because it eliminates the implication that periods are associated with dirt.

Our Mind Your Bloody Language campaign explains why we are advocating for a refocusing of period discussions by changing the language used to ensure inclusion and positive service for all menstruators, without shame.

5) In 2022, Scotland became the first country to offer free menstrual products to all who need them, and more recently, Spain passed Europe’s first paid ‘menstrual leave’ law. Do you think there is a growing global trend to recognise and address menstrual health in policy-making?

It was about time! Many programs have been launched to make menstrual products more affordable and accessible to all (such as the removal of VAT on tampons, the menstrual product donation program for students or a specific allowance for refugees and asylum seekers), but we still have a long way to go.

6) Finally, could you share some perspectives on the long-term goals of the association and the topics you are focusing on this year?

 Our ultimate aspiration is to cease to exist. We believe that distributing menstrual products to people who need them should be the responsibility of government, rather than charities. However, given that demand for our services is currently at an all-time high, we will continue our mission while advocating for concrete government change.

* Source: The Guardian, 2022 - link

** Source: The Grocer, 2022 - link

Links:

Bloody Good Period www.bloodygoodperiod.com

Mind Your Bloody Language www.bloodygoodperiod.com/bloodylanguage