Women's Empowerment x Period Poverty
An empowered woman is a powerful woman, and a powerful woman will change the world. So how to empower a woman? Often, the most critical first step is to help her overcome the social and biological factors preventing her from moving forward in the world. Only a woman free from the unfair constraints pulling her back is a woman able to carry herself with confidence and dignity.
Period poverty is a clear barrier to this. According to the Indian Ministry of Health, the vast majority of all women in India use makeshift pads, making them a shocking 70% more likely to suffer infections at some point in their lives. The problem persists in low-income girls in other countries, and Kenyan girls Michelle Tatu and Caro Muhonja identify rags, mattress stuffing, cotton, and scraps of cloth as frequent such substitutes. Aside from the obvious--and crushing--health implications of this norm, the issue is also in principle. Periods are natural, and these girls deserve a dignified way to manage them.
Still, the consequences for period poverty can grow worse. A 2015 study led by Dr. Penelope Phillips-Howards found 1 in 10 15-year-old girls were having sexual relations in order to afford to pay for sanitary care for themselves and their families. This can of course lead to STDs and teen pregnancy, which can set these girls back for a lifetime, but it is also incredibly dangerous and heartbreaking. No child should have to put their personal health at risk because of their economic condition, and this is why free, accessible sanitary products are so imperative.