Period poverty refers to inadequate access to menstrual hygiene, including period products (e.g. sanitary towels and tampons), washing and waste management facilities and education. The potential adverse consequences of period poverty for women, girls and others who identify as non-binary or transgender who have periods are widely accepted internationally. These include recurrent exclusion from educational, employment and social settings during menstruation and health impacts resulting from exclusion and the use of unsuitable period products.
Period poverty in Ireland was initially brought into focus by the publication, in late 2018, of a Plan International Survey of 1,100 teenage girls, aged 12-19. The Survey identified 50% of girls as having occasionally experienced period poverty, and 10% as having used unsuitable products as a result. 61% had missed school on occasion because of their period.
Following the publication of the Survey, the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus proposed motions in the Seanad and in the Dáil in early 2019, which were passed. Following the Oireachtas motions, the National Strategy for Women and Girls (NSWG) Strategy Committee, now led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, established a sub-committee on period poverty in 2019, chaired by the Department of Health.
In line with the recommendations of the Oireachtas motions, Sub-Committee’s remit included establishing the extent of period poverty in Ireland and population cohorts most at risk. The Terms of Reference also included giving due consideration to the circumstances of young people under the age of 25, targeting of high-risk groups, stigma reduction and mainstreaming period poverty mitigation measures across all relevant Government Departments and public bodies.
In addition, the Programme for Government 2020, makes the following specific commitment under ‘Better Opportunities through Education and Research’ - “Provide 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.”
The NSWG Sub-Committee on Period Poverty published its report on 8th February, 2021; the full Report and accompanying press release are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/264f4-period-poverty-in-ireland-discussion-paper-period-poverty-sub-committee-national-strategy-for-women-and-girls-20172020-february-2021/
Moreover, Government has supported a Private Members Bill on Period Poverty; the Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021 (Bill 4), proposed by Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee and sponsored by Senators Catherine Ardagh and Mary Fitzpatrick, which seeks to make period products freely available to all those who need them. A debate on the matter was held in Seanad Éireann on 8th February, 2021; the Bill has now passed to Committee stage.
Government has further agreed that the recommendations of the Period Poverty in Ireland Discussion Paper be taken into account in terms of further development of the Bill and that cross-Government, inter-Departmental, interagency and societal support for the Bill and related implementation measures should be sought, including from voluntary and private sector organisations that provide services funded by the State, as well as from public service providers. The recommendations of the Report include, but are not limited to, consideration of the provision of free period products in public buildings and in the context of education.
The Department of Health is currently establishing an Implementation Group, with representation requested from all Government Departments, to achieve cross sectoral input and to co-ordinate oversight of both the Bill and implementation measures recommended in the Discussion Paper. It is envisaged that the work of the Group will address the indignity experienced by those who may need period products every month, but cannot afford them.
Both myself and my Department are aware of the work currently undertaken by the recently established Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) with the Ombudsman For Children on the issue of period poverty. We are also aware of the statement made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General comment No 20 (2016) on the implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence.
