Dear Editor,

Access to menstrual products should be treated as a necessity, not a luxury.

With primary and high schools back to face-to-face delivery, after nearly two years of remote learning due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, it is the ideal time to address period poverty.

Many adolescent girls are affected by period poverty — the public health crisis in which women and girls lack access to menstrual products, sanitary facilities, and adequate education.

According to research conducted by Shelly-Ann Weeks of the HerFlow Foundation, 44 per cent of girls in Jamaica suffer from period poverty, which means they go without sanitary supplies for a portion of the year. These affected girls frequently stay home during their periods, while others seek sanitary products from peers, teachers, or guidance counsellors.

Menstruation is a natural, human, biological process that comes with hygienic and sanitary needs that we expect to be met. This, however, is not always the case. Girls don’t always have access to menstrual products, clean bathroom facilities, toilet paper, or bins that allow them to be comfortable at school, engage in learning, and manage a normal and healthy part of life.

The reality of period poverty combined with the lingering social stigma — that menstruation is something to be ashamed of — attached to having periods and the prohibitive nature of this topic have long-term implications on a student’s academic and non-academic life, such as attendance and engagement.

Students are putting their lives on hold rather than face the stress and societal shame associated with periods. Frequently missing days at school might lead to a girl dropping out entirely.

When these girls do not have access to adequate menstrual hygiene products they are forced to improvise, often using unhygienic alternatives, such as paper towels, toilet paper, old rags, socks, strips of cloth, baby diapers, among others. These options, along with improper menstrual hygiene management, can lead to urinary tract and other infections that are damaging to the mental and physical well-being of adolescent girls.

Having easy access to free feminine hygiene products and a safe space where students can be educated about her menstrual cycle and safe practices during menstruation as well as ask questions, discuss their problems, and seek assistance in our schools can help girls access education without interruptions.

Where schools are unable to fulfil their students’ needs, a government scheme that provides free menstrual products to all female students, beginning with those on the Programme of Advancement Through Health And Education (PATH), will help to alleviate period poverty for many girls and women who are forced to choose between feeding their families and addressing their menstrual health.

Jamaicans and manufacturers of feminine hygiene products may help by donating these to schools or community centres. Furthermore, having open and honest talks about menstruation at home can help to eradicate stigma and shift attitudes and beliefs about reproductive health.

Whether we are policymakers or just regular citizens, we are all capable of effecting change to help create a society that is supportive of menstrual health.

Period poverty is unacceptable. Far too many students are unable to afford basic sanitary products. Only by accepting this awful truth can we begin to take the necessary steps to address the issue and ensure that our girls have access to the products they require to live and enjoy a healthy and normal life.

Periods should not be a barrier to learning for any student.

Brittany Jackson

britajackson1@ gmail.com