100 signatures reached
To: Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities and Shona Robinson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport
Access to free period products for all women in Scotland
1. Free period products to be made available in public places including Sports Centres, Libraries, Community Centres and more.
2. A universal system so anyone who needs them can access free products in a way that is easy, accessible and stigma free.
3. An end to the stigma around periods and period poverty by changing the language we use. We want to move away from using language like ‘feminine hygiene’ or ‘sanitary products’ that makes girls feel like periods are something to hide.
Why is this important?
The 1st Musselburgh Senior Section want to end period poverty. We’re calling for free period products for everyone who needs them.
We’ve been working on Girlguiding Scotland’s Citizen Girl challenge badge in our unit – which is all about exploring why our voices matter and how we can speak out on the issues that matter to us. This got us thinking about some of the barriers girls our age face and we decided to campaign to end period poverty after seeing how condoms are provided for free at our school but how girls currently have to pay for period supplies like tampons and pads. It’s not fair that girls have to pay for something they have no choice in!
We’re really encouraged to see free period products will now be available in Scottish schools but think more needs to be done to end period poverty once and for all. That’s why we’re calling for free products in other public places like Community Centres, Sport Centres and Libraries and for a system to make sure these products are easily accessible and freely available to anyone who needs them.
We also want to tackle the stigma around periods and period poverty – so girls and women know this isn’t something they have to hide or be ashamed of.
Women worldwide, are incapacitated by an inevitable biological process, not one of their own making. Many women cannot afford this basic necessity, which impacts so heavily on their lives.
We would like to ask that Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, and Shona Robinson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, to help end the stigma around periods and make sure period products are freely and easily accessible to anyone who needs them, not just while we’re at school but throughout our lives.
