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Roughly 26 per cent or half the world’s female population [i] is of reproductive age, and therefore menstruating each month for about two to seven days. Over a lifetime this adds up to approximately nine years. Yes you read that right. Yet, as normal as it is, periods are stigmatised around the world.

Access to information, education, menstrual hygiene products and appropriate facilities for management and disposal of products associated with menstruation, is lacking. The lack of these essentials is referred to as period poverty. Removing the stigma and taboo of menstruation, as well as ensuring everyone who has a period has easy access to period products when they need them is about achieving ‘period justice’.

Michela Bedard, Executive Director of US based global period advocacy organisation PERIOD, describes it like this: “Menstrual [or period] justice intersects with a variety of issues including gender justice, racial justice, environmental justice and education access. Period poverty is an end result of lifetimes of policy that did not centre on menstruators, or their experiences. It’s important to remember that the work towards menstrual justice is a matter of human rights, of seeing everyone for their full humanity.” [2]

This website is designed to provide visitors with a curated selection of information relating to the worldwide effort to achieve period justice. It was developed following a series of consultations and surveys of young people in South Australia undertaken by their Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly. The feedback provided by the 2,985 children and young people aged 7 to 22 years culiminated in the first Australian National Period Summit and release of a survey report [Menstruation Matters] summarising their experiences and recommendations for change.

If you know of a resource which you think would add value to this site, please get in touch via the email below. We encourage you to explore the site and share its contents with your family, friends and colleagues. You will be helping to raise awareness and encourage more conversations about periods and period justice more broadly. Period poverty occurs everywhere, making period justice relevant to every community in every corner of the globe.

The issue.

In South Australia, as in many other parts of the world, there are young people who cannot afford to buy sanitary hygiene products when they have their period. This is affecting their capacity to attend school, participate in sport, hobbies and other social and recreational activities, leaving them isolated and disdvantaged.  Why should someone miss out or be embarrassed because they don’t have a sanitary product to use? It’s like having no toilet paper in schools. It’s ridiculous and needs to be fixed.

The solution.

Some places around the world are starting to get it right. We’re collating examples of what positive change looks like, so you can see how other’s are approaching this issue.

What is happening?

In short, lots. The Commissioner for Children and Young People is working with other organisations and individuals to address period poverty in South Australia. Around Australia and the world there are organisations led by groups of individuals who want to see change. We’ve documented some of their activities here. 

Resources.

Because education and information is power, we’ve compiled an extensive collection of quality resources relating to period poverty, period justice and menstrual equity, including the latest research and approaches being made in various jurisdictions around the world.

Spread the word.

Share this page and raise awareness by using the following hashtags:

#periodjustice
#endperiodpoverty
#menstrualequity

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08 8226 3355 | CommissionerCYP@sa.gov.au

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