WE'RE DEDICATED TO FIGHTING FOR MENSTRUAL EQUITY AND THE RIGHTS OF ALL PEOPLE WHO BLEED.
Menstrual supplies are not cheap, but for anyone with a period, they are — of course — an absolute necessity.
Sadly, the reality is that they're a luxury that many refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK cannot afford. Many people living in poverty resort to using toilet paper, old scraps of fabric or nothing at all.
Bloody Good Period was started by Gabby Edlin, who decided something needed to be done to create a sustainable flow (pun intended) of menstrual products for those who can't afford to buy them. What started as a whip-round on Facebook is now a growing charity, with a vision to achieve menstrual equity — where the simple fact of bleeding doesn't stop anyone from participating fully in society, or life.
We are now partnered with 100 organisations around the country, helping more women and people who menstruate have bloody good periods.
Erm, QQ: What is menstrual equity?
So glad you asked! Menstrual equity is the belief that no-one in the world should be negatively affected or held back by their period.
Refugees, asylum seekers, and other groups that we support, are hugely affected by lack of access to both period products, and vital information about menstrual health. The Period Poverty Report we released with Women for Refugee Women in 2019 showed that:
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Asylum-seeking women are being forced to go without food and other basic needs in order to purchase period products.
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Period poverty is negatively impacting women’s physical and mental health, causing infections and stress. Women are resorting to using tissue and/or strips of clothing or bath towels in the place of appropriate period products.
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Period poverty is preventing asylum-seeking women from rebuilding their lives with dignity and is part of the ‘hostile environment’ policy against women seeking safety in the UK.