Period poverty has increased sharply in the UK since the coronavirus crisis began, according to a charity that says it is supplying almost six times as many menstrual products now compared with before the pandemic started.
Bloody Good Period (BGP) has been supplying food banks, community support groups, those fleeing domestic violence, asylum seekers and refugees, homeless shelters and even NHS frontline workers.
Overall, the charity has supplied 53,000 products since the start of the pandemic in March, nearly six times the amount they were supplying before.
Almost 700 packs of menstrual products were sent to NHS workers in March and April because they were working such long hours that they could not get to shops to buy period products. When they did manage to shop, they often found empty shelves as, along with toilet rolls and pasta, people were stockpiling pads and tampons.
“Periods don’t stop in a pandemic,†said BGP’s founder and chief executive, Gabby Edlin.
The organisation has also received a growing number of requests from university students in recent months who are struggling with self-isolation and the loss of part-time jobs in the hospitality sector.
Some universities are already providing period products support, including the University of the West of England, along with Glasgow, Edinburgh and Exeter Universities. BGP is urging students at other universities to write to vice-chancellors to highlight the issue of period poverty among students.
The charity has a storage unit in north London, which organisations in the capital who want to obtain menstrual products for people they are working with are given codes to access, observing Covid-secure rules, such as pre-booking a slot to ensure multiple groups are not accessing products at the same time.
The scheme is called Take What You Need. Bulk deliveries are sent direct to organisations working with those in need in other parts of the country.
Last year primary and secondary schools made period products available free but when schools closed during the UK-wide lockdown in March it became much more difficult for some to obtain what they needed.
The charity Plan International UK surveyed girls and women between the ages of 14 and 21 about their experiences of accessing sanitary wear during lockdown. Almost one-third said they struggled to access or afford these items during lockdown.
Research for Menstrual Hygiene Day, part of International Day of the Girl in October, found that 47% of girls and women in 160 countries have experienced more difficulties in getting period products during the pandemic.
“There’s really no let-up in sight to this increased level of demand – in fact we are planning for demand to continue to increase,†Edlin said.
“As recession bites, more people lose their jobs, and more people are pushed into financial hardship and poverty. Everyone is feeling the cumulative stress of the pandemic. And periods continue to happen every month.
“If people don’t have the products they need, they’re forced to use alternatives like toilet paper, socks, newspaper, or to not change pads or tampons frequently – all of those options are obviously not appropriate, and can cause infections.
“Some people have no choice but to use nothing at all. Not being able to access period products is incredibly stressful – it can lead to low self-esteem and panic.â€
