WUKA Teen Stretch™️ Tackles Period Poverty in Schools
We’ve made great leaps of progress in the fight against period poverty, but there is still a long way to go before girls in the UK are truly able to manage their period with dignity. A recent study has shown that there are still 3 MILLION school days being lost due to lack of adequate menstrual care, education and products. That’s a staggering number of people who are missing out on valuable education, experiences and opportunities, simply because they bleed. This need to end, and we need to end it now.
The Every Period Counts Campaign
Run by charities Irise, In Kind Direct, Freedom 4 Girls, Cysters and Bloody Good Period, the Every Period Counts campaign has an agenda to end period shame and make Period Dignity the norm.
They want:
- The government to make free period products available in a shame-free way in all UK schools, to everyone who needs them.
- The government to commit to a new action plan to eradicate period poverty and shame in UK schools by 2025.
- Politicians to make period dignity a right by legislating for it in England and Wales.
We are 100% behind this campaign, and we think you should be too.
Why do we need Period Dignity?
It’s not just 3 million lost school days- which, by itself is more than enough. It’s the 44% of girls who cannot access free period products at school despite the government’s current scheme to make them available to all pupils. It’s the further 44% who say they’re too embarrassed to ask for the free products because they’re kept hidden away, available only on request. It’s the 24% who say they’re too embarrassed to let their teacher know they’ve started their period, the startling 61% who say they’re not able to access a toilet during lesson time, the 25% who say they have to give a reason for needing the loo, and the 24% who have to try to hide their period products on the way to the loo.
The campaign has been calling for stories from girls and women who have faced period poverty and the narrative is, sadly, depressingly predictable. Girls who have been forced to leak onto their chairs during exams, due to restricted toilet access. Girls who are forced to jump through hoops to get a single tampon. Girls who were accused of ‘making up stories’ when their first period arrived. With over 100 stories submitted in just 24 hours, the reality of period shame in UK schools is enough to make you weep.
This is why we need period dignity. So that our children can go to school for an education, not a fight for equity over a natural biological event. So that our children do not need to suffer with period cramps in silence, to the point where they pass out in school. So that girls aren’t forced to miss exams, sporting events and other activities they have a right to enjoy.
We need period dignity because period shame is putting up huge barriers that too many girls simply cannot overcome.
How does WUKA Teen Stretch™️ Tackle Period Poverty?
Our Teen Stretch™️Period Pants™️ are special, because they’re made with our patented stretch technology- which means they can fit up to 4 sizes in just one pair. So if your child is bloated, or simply going through a growth spurt, that one same pair will still fit comfortably and still absorb their flow without leaks or odours.
From a parenting perspective, that’s amazing. But from a teen’s perspective, the Teen Stretch™️ means:
- The pants can be worn as a complete tampon and pad replacement, eradicating the need to ask for period products, or for anyone else to know they’re on their period.
- The pants can be worn for up to 12 hours leak-free, so no need to ‘smuggle’ period products out of the classroom.
- The pants are made with a highly absorbent gusset made up of many layers, the middle of which locks in the blood away from the body. They can be worn throughout a whole exam without leaking on to the seat or needing to leave to change them.
- The pants are comfortable, providing gentle support where it’s needed, with no VPL so they’re compatible with all outfits choices, including dance leotards and more.
WUKA Teen Stretch™️ period pants mean that your child can manage their period with dignity, and without shame.
We support the Every Period Counts campaign, but we also need YOUR support with our campaign to axe the period pants tax. Imagine if your child’s school was able to provide period pants as standard? One pair will last two years, providing your child with adequate, safe and hygienic period protection for every cycle in that time. Overall costs would be cut, and we’d be providing our children with all that they need to manage their own period on their own terms.
WUKA Teen Stretch™️ are sustainable, easy to use and should be accessible to all. Sign our petition here.
Related posts
Why we Need to Axe the Period Pants Tax
Five Facts You Might Not Know About Menstrual Hygiene Day
Why we Need to See Period Blood on TV
FAQs
How many girls miss school due to their period?
According to Plan UK, almost 2 million girls miss school in the UK due to their period. This can be for a va of reasons, ranging from period cramps, lack of education, lack of access to period products, period shame, and stigma.
How does period poverty affect girls education?
Girls are missing out on valuable education, sporting activities and other experiences too. 3 million school days are lost due to lack of access to period products, lack of period dignity and lack of menstrual care and education.
