Ireland needs to end Period Poverty now – Seery-Kearney

Legislation is needed urgently to end period poverty and ensure there is targeted support for women during menstruation, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Mary Seery-Kearney said, “In recent days, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act, bringing into force the provision of period products free of charge in all schools, colleges and universities.  I welcome their move to light the way for girls, women and all who menstruate to be fully supported in the cost of period products without means testing.

“Sanitary products can cost between €2 to €6 per pack in Ireland and are zero VAT rated; that means with on average 13 periods per year between the ages of 12 and 52, the cost of period products per year can be as high as €156, and in a lifetime cost €6,240.

“Period Poverty was acknowledged by the United Nations in 2016 in a resolution stating that “lack of menstrual health management and stigma associated with menstruation both have a negative impact on gender equality and women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights, including the right to education and the right to health.” (United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Resolution 33/10 on the 29th September 2016.

“I have raised this matter in the Seanad today, and have written to the Minister for Health, calling on him to bring forward legislation as a matter of urgency to ensure that there is a targeted alleviation and support during menstruation.  Products need to be made available in all toilets to ensure that transgender support is also ensured.

“Plan International Ireland published a survey they carried out with 1,100 young girls and women aged between 12 and 19, showed that 61% have missed school on their period and nearly 50 per cent of Irish teenage girls find it difficult to afford sanitary products.  The high cost of menstrual products has resulted in the use of highly unsuitable options such as newspapers, toilet paper or unwashed clothing.

“I ran a campaign recently for support to alleviate period poverty and made a number of deliveries to groups who can distribute feminine hygiene products directly.

“I welcome that the Programme for Government committed to the provision of “a range of free, adequate, safe, and suitable period products in all educational publicly-funded settings (including schools, colleges and HEIs), to ensure that no students are disadvantaged in their education by period poverty,” Senator Seery-Kearney concluded.