I'm posting this in honor of International Women's Day on Mar. 8.
May 28, 2021 "COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating period poverty, removing access to products": Today I found this article by Caryn Lieberman on Global News:
Periods are a monthly visitor for people around the world yet many struggle just to talk about menstruation.
“Periods are one of the last great taboo topics,” said Amanda Laird, author of Heavy Flow: Breaking the Curse of Menstruation.
“My hope is that everybody would see this as a perfectly normal bodily function, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Menstrual Health Day falls on May 28 every year, given that the average menstrual cycle is 28 days.
“It’s just a day that we celebrate and bring awareness to periods and menstrual health and hygiene because periods is just health,” explained Jana Girdauskas, founder of The Period Purse.
Girdauskas’ charity strives to achieve menstrual equity by
providing people with access to free menstrual products,
and to reduce the stigma surrounding periods through public education and advocacy.
Girdauskas pointed to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people who are menstruating and cannot access period products.
“People who before were going into libraries or healthcare centres really easily — all that stuff is closed in the pandemic and so it’s making it harder to find that access,” she said.
Girdauskas noted this has not only been a difficult time, but it can be a dangerous one for many people seeking alternatives to pricey period products.
“We know from stories from people we’ve given to, who are living on the streets or in shelters, that they have to make their pads or tampons and that leads to infections and lack of dignity,” she said.
Periods don’t stop in a pandemic, she pointed out.
For that reason, The Period Purse volunteers have been busy this past year packing products and donating to more clients than ever before.
“This year alone, this is one month’s supply of pads and tampons,” she said, holding up a freezer bag filled with pads and tampons.
“We’ve done 33,000 of these. The need is so great in Toronto alone last year we were only able to service 31 per cent of the needs.”
Running The Period Purse is more than a passion project for Girdauskas.
“Everyone deserves to have a dignified period whether they’re experiencing homelessness or living on the margins because those people are picking to put a meal on their table or to buy a pack of pads … We want them to have both,” she said.
In Canada, there are efforts under way by various school boards to provide free menstruation products in bathrooms.
Earlier this month, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) wrote a letter to Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce asking for funding for free menstrual products in all schools in the province.
“Menstrual hygiene products are not a luxury. They are necessary and essential to
menstrual health,
comfort
and participation in
school,
work
and society,”
wrote TDSB Chair Alexander Brown.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Yolanda Kirkham, who works at Women’s College Hospital and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, is hopeful companies will reduce the prices of their menstrual products and people will donate to those in need.
“I’d love to see a Canadian task force work on menstrual equity and period poverty,” she said.
“We can look at countries like Scotland who was the first one to make all menstrual products free.”
Girdauskas looks forward to a day when these products are in every bathroom “and it’s there free, just like toilet paper and soap is.”
For Amanda Laird, who also hosts The Heavy Flow Podcast about periods, reproductive health and health and wellness topics,
talking about menstruation and removing the stigma may also mean healing the physical pain.
“Most people experience painful periods every month or sometimes and that could be from a little bit of cramping or a period migraine to serious diseases like endometriosis and if we can’t talk about periods, we can’t get relief from our pain because this affects people’s lives,” she said.
COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating period poverty, removing access to products | Globalnews.ca
Jun. 1, 2022 "Young boys help break the stigma. Period.": I got this in my email from Save the Children:
When you enter the community of Milange, Mozambique, you might be greeted with an unexpected sight. Boys are gathered underneath a tree with a needle and thread in hand. They’re learning how to make homemade and reusable menstrual pads.
“At first, I found it very strange when the mentor said that we would learn how to make menstrual pads,” shared 17-year-old Raul. “With time, I began to realize that we should know about how to help the girls who end up leaving school for fear of getting dirty.”
Millions of women and girls* face stigma and social exclusion simply because their bodies menstruate and they are unable to manage their menstrual cycle in a dignified and healthy way.
Every year on May 28th, Save the Children joins the conversation on Menstrual Hygiene Day to break taboos and stigmas around menstruation.
It is also a time to raise awareness around gender equality and girls’ empowerment.
In areas of Mozambique, menstruation causes an increase in school dropout rates and poor hygiene practices, based on misconceptions.
Save the Children’s Ungumi project works with youth and community leaders to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19, specifically in the communities in the districts of Milange, Morrumbala, and Derre in Zambézia province.
Through the Ungumi project, youth are taught how to sew and work together to create their own reusable menstrual hygiene pads.
Traditional pads used by women and girls were quite uncomfortable and restrictive. By making their own, girls and women were able to feel more confident and engage in everyday activities, such as playing soccer and attending school.
Often in rural communities, menstruation is a taboo topic, especially for boys. They don’t speak about it and therefore don’t know anything about it. This leads to the spread of false beliefs, bullying, and teasing, perpetuating girls’ feelings of shame and isolation, sometimes even leading them to drop out of school.
Menstruation was looked at as a form of a curse or a source of illness for men. “Here in the community, we hear that when a girl is menstruating, she cannot talk to boys or put salt in her food, because if she does, the boy will catch a disease in his sex organ, but now we know that this is not true,” shared 17-year-old Edgardo.
The Ungumi project works with communities to challenge and dispel these types of myths around menstruation and ensures that boys learn about the menstrual cycle and how they can support their female classmates, through community mentoring groups and school activists.
Adolescent boys were also taught how to make reusable menstrual pads, an innovative initiative that created a safe space for
healthy discussions and dialogue around puberty,
body changes in girls and boys,
and equal opportunities among them.
Gil, who is 15 years old, also learned how to make menstrual pads. He said, “It was good to learn how to make the pads so now I can teach my younger sisters. I heard that the traditional pads leak and fall down easily. If you don’t have the money to buy the pads from the store, then the homemade pads are the best option.”
These homemade pads ensure that girls have access to comfortable, safe, menstrual hygiene products that cost very little money and can be reused.
With these products and accurate information about their cycles, young girls feel empowered and confident about their bodies. They attend school, work, and participate in sports while menstruating.
Last year on Menstrual Hygiene Day, 566 million people were reached with positive and impactful images to help break the stigma around periods. This year the goal is to continue the momentum and reach more people.
Breaking the stigma around menstruation is one of the first steps necessary to prevent so many of the restrictions placed on girls and women around the world who menstruate.
*We acknowledge the fact that not everyone who menstruates identifies as a girl or woman and also that not all girls and women menstruate
Names have been changed for privacy purposes
Young boys help break the stigma. Period. - Save the Children Canada
Sept. 18, 2024 Mandate Paid Menstrual Leave in the Workplace: Today I got this petition in my email:
StartedSeptember 12, 2024
Why this petition matters
Started by Sabrina EdwardsIt seems every month I, along with many other women, find myself making the difficult choice between nursing awful menstrual cramps at home or pushing through the pain to go into work. Our male colleagues don't have to make this compromise. Modern society should recognize that menstruation is a natural physiological process which, for some women, can cause severe discomfort and pain that shouldn't be ignored in a professional setting.
Over 800 million women globally experience menstruation monthly, often with accompanying physical and emotional challenges (WHO, 2021), forcing them to perform below their potential or to take unpaid leave.
Countries like
Japan,
Indonesia,
South Korea
and, more recently, Zambia,
have taken a step forward by introducing paid menstrual leave.
In light of this, it’s time that all workplaces account for the significant segment of the workforce who menstruate and institute policies that allow for paid menstrual leave.
By signing this petition, you will stand in support of mandating paid menstrual leave which will contribute to
providing equal opportunities for all workers,
fostering better mental and physical health,
and promoting overall productivity in the workplace.
The concept of menstrual leave is not about treating women as weaker but about
recognizing
and respecting
that women's bodies work differently
and that their needs should not be neglected.
Please sign this petition and contribute to a fair, equitable work environment.
My opinion: I don't really experience bad cramps. However, there are a lot of women who do. There should be paid menstrual leave for women who has pain.
The other 2 blog posts of the week:
It seems every month I, along with many other women, find myself making the difficult choice between nursing awful menstrual cramps at home or pushing through the pain to go into work. Our male colleagues don't have to make this compromise. Modern society should recognize that menstruation is a natural physiological process which, for some women, can cause severe discomfort and pain that shouldn't be ignored in a professional setting.
Over 800 million women globally experience menstruation monthly, often with accompanying physical and emotional challenges (WHO, 2021), forcing them to perform below their potential or to take unpaid leave.
Countries like
Japan,
Indonesia,
South Korea
and, more recently, Zambia,
have taken a step forward by introducing paid menstrual leave.
In light of this, it’s time that all workplaces account for the significant segment of the workforce who menstruate and institute policies that allow for paid menstrual leave.
By signing this petition, you will stand in support of mandating paid menstrual leave which will contribute to
providing equal opportunities for all workers,
fostering better mental and physical health,
and promoting overall productivity in the workplace.
The concept of menstrual leave is not about treating women as weaker but about
recognizing
and respecting
that women's bodies work differently
and that their needs should not be neglected.
Please sign this petition and contribute to a fair, equitable work environment.
My opinion: I don't really experience bad cramps. However, there are a lot of women who do. There should be paid menstrual leave for women who has pain.
The other 2 blog posts of the week:
"More women are the breadwinners in Canadian families — but less so if they have kids"/ "Why work-life balance still isn't working for women, especially moms"
"Nobel economics prize goes to Harvard's Claudia Goldin for research on the workplace gender gap"/ "Progress in economics isn’t like progress in vaccines but it helps"
https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/03/nobel-economics-prize-goes-to-harvards.html
My week:
Mar. 13, 2025 "After pleas from Manitoba, Walmart decides to pull machetes from website, stores across Canada": Today I found this article by Ian Froese at CBC:
Walmart Canada will stop selling machetes — a type of weapon frequently used in violent crimes — in stores across the country, after Manitoba's government pressured the retailer to restrict online sales.
The company "will no longer sell long-bladed weapons Canada-wide," spokesperson Felicia Fefer said Wednesday night in an email.
"We're currently removing them from sale in our stores and online."
https://badcb.blogspot.com/2025/03/nobel-economics-prize-goes-to-harvards.html
Walmart Canada will stop selling machetes — a type of weapon frequently used in violent crimes — in stores across the country, after Manitoba's government pressured the retailer to restrict online sales.
The company "will no longer sell long-bladed weapons Canada-wide," spokesperson Felicia Fefer said Wednesday night in an email.
"We're currently removing them from sale in our stores and online."
'We can make a real difference': Wiebe
The company realized "it's cleaner to just stop the sales across the country," Justice Minister Matt Wiebe told CBC News in an interview Wednesday.
"It also shows that they're willing to understand the impact that these weapons are having on our streets, that these are used in violent attacks. We appreciate them stepping up and being good corporate citizens."
Manitoba's rules around machete sales, which came into effect Dec. 31 and only apply to in-store sales, require businesses to sell the items only to adults with photo identification, and to keep records of their sales for two years.
They must also keep the items stored in a way that prevents shoppers from accessing them without assistance.
Machetes have been used in a series of violent crimes in Winnipeg over the last six months.
Just last weekend, a man underwent surgery after he was stabbed in a machete attack near a convenience store in the Westdale neighbourhood.
A 16-year-old was arrested after swinging a machete at a passerby during an attempted robbery in the King Edward neighbourhood in late January.
And in late December two teenage boys were charged with aggravated assault after they attacked an unknown man in his 20s with a machete on Keenleyside Street.
My opinion: I like this article because it's about safety and preventing violence.
The company realized "it's cleaner to just stop the sales across the country," Justice Minister Matt Wiebe told CBC News in an interview Wednesday.
"It also shows that they're willing to understand the impact that these weapons are having on our streets, that these are used in violent attacks. We appreciate them stepping up and being good corporate citizens."
Manitoba's rules around machete sales, which came into effect Dec. 31 and only apply to in-store sales, require businesses to sell the items only to adults with photo identification, and to keep records of their sales for two years.
They must also keep the items stored in a way that prevents shoppers from accessing them without assistance.
Machetes have been used in a series of violent crimes in Winnipeg over the last six months.
Just last weekend, a man underwent surgery after he was stabbed in a machete attack near a convenience store in the Westdale neighbourhood.
A 16-year-old was arrested after swinging a machete at a passerby during an attempted robbery in the King Edward neighbourhood in late January.
And in late December two teenage boys were charged with aggravated assault after they attacked an unknown man in his 20s with a machete on Keenleyside Street.
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