One in five schoolgirls and young women are teased or bullied over their periods, with many suffering in silence, according to a study released today on Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Of the 20 per cent of 14- to 21-year-olds to tell pollsters they were targeted, 49 per cent said they had not spoken to anyone about the abuse.
Some 67 per cent said abuse was mainly occurring in schools, with 66 per cent saying they had missed classes because of their period.
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Tanya Barron, chief executive of charity Plan International UK, which carried out the research, said girls were “facing unacceptable stigma and shame linked to their periods”.
She said: “Not only is this damaging girls’ confidence and self-esteem, it’s also having an often-overlooked impact on their education.
“Girls tell us they are missing out on school because of their period and struggling to catch up on schoolwork as a result. We can’t allow this to continue.”
Minister for women and equalities Penny Mordaunt has today announced the charity as a co-chair in the government’s Period Poverty Taskforce, along with consumer goods multinational Procter & Gamble.
Together they will examine accessibility to period products as well as the 5 per cent VAT on tampons or towels known as the “tampon tax”.
Ms Mordaunt said: “For too long, women and girls in the UK have faced unnecessary adversity around their periods. That is why we have formed this new taskforce.
“Our two new co-chairs, Plan International UK and Procter & Gamble, have already produced impressive work around the country to improve access to period products and change old-fashioned attitudes to menstruation and break down taboos.”
The research involved interviews with 1,000 schoolgirls and young women.
As reported in Tes, tampons and other sanitary products will be given out free in England in schools and to hospital patients.
