**TL; DR – While there has been a considerable effort made towards highlighting period poverty, there is still more that can be done. Additionally, more can and should be done not only to ensure that sanitary products are made more affordable, but also that these products are in fact free and more accessible to girls and women worldwide.** It’s no secret that sanitary products are not afforded with the same accessibility as condoms. A specific example of this can be seen in the South African context where: number one, pads are not free – except with the exception of promotions, campaigns or initiatives. Number two, the “free” sanitary products that are available, girls and women have difficulty or issues accessing. The website globalcitizen.org, verifies this when they inform us that although the South African government has gotten rid of the 15% VAT on menstrual products in 2019, there are many South Africans who still cannot afford sanitary products and to make sanitary products a priority. What's more, a study conducted by Stellenbosch University revealed that 30% of girls in South Africa missed school as a result of not being able to purchase sanitary products while menstruating. It's with this in mind, that Bongani Majola, chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission's following two statements carry weight: First she says, “…that a lack of access to sanitary products can have a ripple effect on the entire population.” Following it up with, “It is not just the girls and women who benefit from having proper menstrual hygiene, the broader society and national economies can profit from better menstruation management.” Moreover, in Jake New’s article (2016) from insidehighered.com, a student, Zoey Freedman confirmed this sentiment when she wrote: “Having these products in public facilities would also provide an easy way for women living on the streets to access these products.” Further elaborating, she continued with saying: “Homeless women and women with extremely low income are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to feminine products. Tampons are pricey for any woman, but women who can hardly afford to buy food can’t afford to buy a $10 box of tampons, leaving them to choose between food or feeling comfortable when on their period.” So with all of this in mind then, while I have observed that there is a growing awareness of this issue, unfortunately, not enough is being done around it. Particularly, as we can see that it’s not just girls or women who benefit from this. Society at large also benefits from it in the long run. Consequently, since periods are not a luxury and can be considered as almost akin to a basic need, I believe that it’s not unreasonable to provide free sanitary products, including more and better accessibility to them. Sources: 1) 3 Organisations Run by Young Women That Seek to End Period Poverty in South Africa https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/period-poverty-south-africa-ngos-young-women/ [accessed March 5, 2021]. 2) Students demand free tampons on campus https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/03/11/students-demand-free-tampons-campus [accessed March 5, 2021].

**Tl;dr: Period poverty has shown some improvement in the past few years (e.g., with the rise of red box campaigns). Yet, there is still much to be done to combat the high numbers of women struggling from period poverty around the world.** Recently period poverty has become more recognised. In 2019, the National Health Service in England devoted itself to providing free sanitary products to women in hospitals. Schools and colleges have been provided ‘red box campaigns.’ Which offer boxes of sanitary products in bathrooms so girls in school always have access to the products they need without having to ask, which can be a daunting experience and may deter many girls from seeking help. It is therefore clear progress is being made regarding period poverty as little as five years ago these policies were not in place, leaving many women and girls to suffer in silence. However, it is true to assert that more needs to be done to combat period poverty. In the UK 1 in 10 girls still do not have access to period products. Councillor Rob Stewart has outlined the ways in which periods are still stigmatised and an issue for many girls in society. Namely, only 22% of girls are comfortable to discuss periods with their teacher, 49% of girls in the UK had to skip an entire day of school due to their periods and over 32,000 females between 10 and 50 in Birmingham have experienced period poverty at some point in their lives. [1] Therefore, while some progress has been made, there is still progress that needs to be made and we should not stop until every girl around the world has access to the basic necessity of period products. [1] file:///C:/Users/Harry/Downloads/Tackling_Period_Poverty_and_Raising_Period_Awareness_Inquiry.pdf

I don't even understand what this means? There is no such thing as "period poverty", except perhaps for men who are so deprived of periods that they never get one? There is such a thing as poverty. People in poverty cannot afford certain products - including period products. What exactly is gained by creating a new category for "period poverty" other than trying to leverage people's fear of being called sexist? The issue here is poverty full stop. Giving away free tampons etc will just move the problem and then it will be a problem of poverty attached to something else. I've already heard people talk about "digital poverty" lol.