WE’VE BEEN PAYING THE #PERIODPENALTY FOR WAY TOO LONG.
WE NEED MEANINGFUL, URGENT ACTION FROM PARLIAMENTARIANS NOW.
Period poverty in the UK is becoming an increasingly bigger issue, year on year.
Right now, household budgets are under pressure in all directions. 40% of those on Universal Credit are in work. Food bank referrals are up. People are having to make impossible choices between life’s essentials - and if you have a period, and/or dependents who do, that includes period products.
There’s a penalty on periods. Everyone who menstruates is experiencing it. And it’s not just a financial penalty! Periods have become a penalty that we pay with our health, education and work. And we’re bloody tired of it!
Period products should be freely available - and they should be accompanied by education, normalisation and practical support.
Nobody should be in this position. Our Government and decision-makers in parliament need to do more, and they need to put periods back on the agenda. Not ‘in due course’—but right bloody now.
And now, we need your help. Join us in asking your local MP to put periods back on the political agenda; asking them to join our Parliamentary drop-in at Westminster.
So...how do you get involved?
We've created the below handy email template for you to send to your MP via TheyWorkForYou. Just copy and paste the below, edit the sections highlighted, and send via TheyWorkForYou!
Dear [name],
As your local constituent, I would like you to attend Bloody Good Period’s Parliamentary drop-in in Room P at Portcullis House, on Tuesday June 27th, 11am-1pm.
Periods have become a penalty that we pay with our finances, health, education and work. Period products should be freely available - and they should be accompanied by education and practical support. It is important you attend because
** Add your own text, spelling out why this is an important issue to you. For example
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Your personal experience of menstrual needs being/ not being met
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How this would help your local area and services
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Praise any work your MP has done on this issue already **
The Government’s actions to date - free period products in schools, abolishing the Tampon Tax, product provision for people in custody and within NHS hospitals- are not sufficient, and neither do they tackle the issue for many groups of people. Period products are still not free or accessible to everyone in England and Wales.
🩸24% of people who menstruate in the UK say they or their family have struggled to afford period products in 2022 (WaterAid, 2022)
🩸Tampon Tax profits have gone to large corporates (Tax Policy Associates, 2022)
🩸84% said their employer could do more to support menstrual and menopausal health needs (Bloody Good Employers, 2021)
🩸70% of students aren’t allowed to use the toilet during class (Plan International UK)
Right now, people are making impossible choices between life’s necessities - including essential items like period products. There’s a penalty on periods, and it's hitting women and everyone who menstruates hard. This goes beyond the financial penalty; periods have become a penalty that we pay with our health, education and work. The culture of embarrassment and shame that exists around periods holds people back when asking for help. And all of this culminates into a situation where people can’t access products, menstrual education or support. This is unacceptable.
So please join Bloody Good Period and speak with Bloody Good Employers representatives and BGP’s representatives, ambassadors and recipients.
Please also help us to spread the word beforehand by sharing information about our #PeriodPenalty campaign online, and live-posting at the event to create online awareness.
Thank you so much in advance for your support.
**insert your name**
Haven't used TheyWorkForYou before? Here's our handy video guide on how to - and it only takes 2 minutes! Easy.
PS: We'd love to hear from you! If you've emailed your MP, please:
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Forward your letter on to [email protected]
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Forward us any responses
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Comment on one of our Period Penalty graphics on Instagram and let us know your MP's name, so we can keep up to date with who has been asked to take bloody action so far!