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In 2022, we worked with grassroots activists from over 25 countries to enable them to advocate for menstrual health in their contexts and garner their input, knowledge, and direction so we could drive the global menstrual health narrative 

Convening +50 menstrual health leaders to ignite change!

Pandemic Periods held a hybrid workshop in partnership with the UNFPA SRH Division on the sidelines of the 78th session of the  United Nations General Assembly to roadmap the future of menstrual health as a human rights issue. The insights from this workshop can be found on our policy page. 

What is menstruation/a period?

Menstruation, or period, is normal vaginal bleeding as part of a woman’s monthly cycle. Every month, your body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus.

What is period poverty? 

We understand that several terms are used interchangeably within this sector, each with its strengths and weaknessesPeriod poverty is a paradoxical term whereby its use further perpetuates the stigma and shame relating to sub-optimal menstrual health. The time emerged from the global north but has gained traction in the global South.
Our definition is based on the Action Aid (2021) definition. Period poverty affects women, girls and individuals that menstruate worldwide. Access to appropriate and safe period products, safe and hygienic spaces to use them, and the right to manage menstruation without shame or stigma are essential for menstruating.
What is menstrual health?
In a recent publication, Menstrual Health was defined as complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity about the menstrual cycle. It is also a facet of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). According to the United Nations, SRHR are the right to life, liberty and the security of the person; the right to health care and information; and the right to non-discrimination in allocating resources to health services and their availability and accessibility.

 

 

1

educate yourself and teach others

Start by reading the reports and our mission page to know more about period poverty during the covid-19 pandemic and share your knowledge with others so more people can join the movement. 

2

Start a conversation 

to eliminate the stigma surrounding menstruation and period poverty the first step is to start talking about it. Spark up a conversation about menstruation, menstrual health and period poverty or  share our social media posts and graphics. this is a way to get more people to join the conversation and advocate for change.

3

Advocate for change 

Write a letter to your local government or tweet asking for menstrual health to be prioritized during the pandemic.

Educate yourself and teach others

Start by reading the reports and our mission page to know more about period poverty during the covid-19 pandemic and share your knowledge with others so more people can join the movement.

Start a conversation

to eliminate the stigma surrounding menstruation and period poverty the first step is to start talking about it. Spark up a conversation about menstruation, menstrual health and period poverty or  share our social media posts and graphics. this is a way to get more people to join the conversation and advocate for change.

Advocate for change

Write a letter to your local government or tweet asking for menstrual health to be prioritised during the pandemic.

We must avoid making assumptions about what people need, so we work with various stakeholders to co-develop tools, events, and advocacy initiatives that grassroots activists can adopt!

You can download a template letter for your government in French, English or  Spanish to send to your Minister of Health, Minister of Equality, Minister of Women, or Local Councillor, asking them to prioritise menstrual health policies.

We have also curated several global discussions focusing on the intersection of menstrual health and several prominent international health topics, such as universal health coverage, gender-based violence, human rights, and women’s leadership. You can watch these events on our YouTube channel. 

Graphics to share in social media

Gifs

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Our 2023-2024 commitment

Pandemic Periods is committed to elevating menstrual health on the global stage. We believe it is the gateway to discussing broader sexual and reproductive health rights. We pledge to drive collective action around Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 to achieve gender equality to empower all women and girls and facilitate efforts that ensure that all girls and women can manage their menstruation with dignity to achieve SDG 3 of good health and well-being.

Eight hundred million individuals are menstruating daily, yet menstruation is not always recognised as a priority in women’s, girls, transmen and non-binary individuals’ health and well-being. Through our global collective, we will continue to raise the visibility of menstrual health by:

  1.     Leading programmes that address systems that support menstrual health, as well as access to safe, affordable, hygienic products, discrete spaces, and hygiene facilities in environments free of menstrual stigma and shame, so women, girls, and all menstruate people can manage their periods with dignity. 
  2.     Driving accountability for implementing menstrual health policies at the national level through co-creating policy implementation analysis white papers.
  3.     Generating thought leadership, creative storytelling and action-orientated advocacy hosted on our global knowledge-sharing platform.
  4.     Supporting young people to gain further experience in this sector by offering training and exposure to global health, menstrual health, and gender equality advocacy.
  5.     Including people with lived experience in the co-design and execution of advocacy initiatives, interventions, and gender transformative approaches that address menstrual health globally and nationally.
  6.     Encouraging private sector employers to adopt gender-transformative policies will create gender-responsive workplaces that address the needs of individuals who menstruate across the life course.
  7.     Advocating for menstrual health to be recognised independently of sexual and reproductive rights – we want multilateral to have individuals embedded in teams dedicated to menstrual health, not just sexual and reproductive health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education, or adolescent health programmes. 

As a global collective, we will continue supporting and co-delivering our Generation Equality Forum in the Feminist Movements and Leadership Action Coalition commitment throughout 2023-2024.