The (Bloody) Politics of Periods
In July 2023, the first Women Deliver conference since 2019 will be held in Kigali, Rwanda. We are pleased to see that menstrual health is on the agenda, but we still urge the global health and development community to follow the examples of menstrual activists around the world to do even more. While we’re seeing […]
Why is the WHA not talking about menstruation?!
Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is an opportunity to drive collective action to advance the funding, policy, programmes, and practices that enable menstrual health. It has been an internationally recognised event since 2014 with a long-term plan for reducing the impact of menstrual health and hygiene stigma and advocating for the advancement of “educational opportunities, […]
Reproductive justice: the missing piece of the digital rights puzzle
Disclaimer: for ease of language, women are referred to as all child-bearing people Coined in 1994 by the Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice, reproductive justice [1] refers to women’s inherent right to maintain bodily autonomy and decide freely and responsibly over matters related to their reproductivity, namely the right to have children […]
Menstrual Health is Everybody’s Business. Period.
This week, the Netherlands is co-hosting the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York.
An intersectional approach to addressing period poverty in Pakistan
For roughly half the world’s population, menstruation is a core issue of bodily autonomy: the right to safety, security, and self-determination over their bodies, including their reproduction. Not only does it shape our reproductive health experiences, but it also impacts our livelihoods and life projects. Yet menstrual health is widely stigmatised and not considered an appropriate […]
Thailand’s Leap in Period Equity
In November 2022, Thailand hosted the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) which had the theme of Family Planning and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Since it is first ICFP in Kampala, Uganda, the conference has offered a platform where the global sexual and reproductive health (SRH) movement can advocate for SRH services to be included […]
Gender-based violence and menstrual discrimination
The relationship between gender-based violence (GBV) and menstrual health is more entwined than people may think. Both GBV and menstrual discrimination are human rights violations and public health issues because they prevent women, girls, and queer individuals from fully participating in society. In addition, they cause humiliation, deprive individuals of personal liberty, and take away their agency. […]
Stigma, taboo, myths and misconceptions around menstruation in young people in Australia
Although period poverty disproportionately impacts those living in resource-limited settings, it can affect anyone and anytime. In 2020, the South Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly, surveyed 3,000 young people between the ages of 7 and 22 about their perceptions and experiences of menstruation. She found that period poverty is impacting their […]
Letter From Our First Ever Board Chair
Worldwide, we must work together to achieve menstrual equity
Frontline health workers have the right to menstrual health
The COVID-19 pandemic has further broadened the gender gap, exacerbated the discriminatory social norms, and heightened vulnerabilities that hinder access to essential services2. It has also put untold pressure on overburdened healthcare systems and healthcare workers worldwide – approximately 70% of the global health workforce are women8. Although we appreciate that not all women menstruate and not […]