Charities, campaigners and teachers report scale of the problem, saying more must be done to tackle stigma

Girls from low-income families across England are struggling to afford sanitary protection, with many teachers buying tampons for their students or seeking help with supplies from charities and voluntary groups, the Guardian has been told.

Charities, campaigners and teachers say that the problem is happening in cities and rural areas across the country, describing girls missing school, using donations, or wearing makeshift protection during their period.

The issue came to light after it was reported that a charity in Leeds, Freedom4Girls, was contacted by a local school who were worried about truancy among teenage girls when they had their period. The charity, which provides products to women in Kenya, agreed to do the same for local girls.

Since then more teachers have come forward to discuss the issue openly, with many contacting charities for help or telling how their schools already support girls in the same situation. Hayley Smith, founder of Flow Aid, a campaign working to provide free sanitary products to the homeless, said that she had a request from a London primary teacher, who worked in multiple schools in the capital, on Monday asking to her to provide sanitary products to young girls who could not afford them.



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Smith said: “Teenagers and young girls are being forced to wrap or stuff toilet paper down their knickers, to prevent them from bleeding all over themselves while at schools. The cost of sanitary products are just too much for some girls and their families, and it’s leading to missing school and it’s putting their health at risk.”

“It’s absolutely despicable in the 21st century that girls are being forced to comprise their education simply because an absolute necessity is unavailable and not affordable.”



Smith is now looking at distribution channels to ensure students get supplies. “I work with Ealing Soup Kitchen and St Mungo’s and I am asking them if they have any links in primary schools we can distribute to,” she said. The campaigner added that she is also looking at creating drop off or donation points where people can give products to local schools.

Donations have already been given in Beverley, a market town in east Yorkshire. Councillor Chris Linthwaite, from Molescroft parish council, said the Friends of Longcroft School, a voluntary group, had to step in and provide sanitary donations after an investigation highlighted it as a problem. “Basic school equipment, items of uniform including 80 pairs of shoes were needed too.” The school confirmed the donations.

Rosy Candlin of Every Month, a campaign to create packs of menstrual products for people experiencing homelessness or poverty in Manchester, said she had been into a school in Rochdale to talk about this issue, with students raising funds for students who could not afford products.



She agreed there was still a lot of stigma: “For a family to say ‘we cannot afford food’ that’s so much easier to ask for. But because of the shame put on mensuration it’s much harder. Even in food banks we have to tell me to make it explicit that they carry our packs as people less likely to ask for them.”

Candlin says that often people use socks instead or they will simply skip school, as was the case in Leeds.” There’s a lot of girls who use lots of tissue to create makeshift protection, or they will have just a few pads and leave them in for longer, so it becomes unhygienic and unhealthy so there are no real good options.”

The Guardian also heard from dozens of teachers who said that they regularly provide pads and tampons for their students. One teacher in Manchester, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “This year I have a student who has benefited from free sanitary products. The student mentors and I put together two bags of essential toiletries including pads. She does pick up extra supplies every so often. So has another girl in the class. They would benefit from being able to tap into a guaranteed national provision – it’s less embarrassing when you feel you are not the only one.”

Another teacher from Newcastle said: “There is a core group of girls who regularly need to use staff-bought sanitary products. I buy the same brands I use myself, I just make sure I buy extra when they’re on offer.”

One teaching assistant from Surrey said last week someone in her department helped out a pupil who had only been given one sanitary towel for the day by her mother. “The girl came to a member of our department as she did not know what to do. It is not unusual for this to happen and we have a supply of sanitary towels and spare knickers for that purpose.”

Bothana Tashani of Freedom4Girls said that since the story about what was happening in Leeds went public they have heard from teachers, students and organisations all around the UK. “We were not surprised when we were first contacted by a school in Leeds about it. It’s upsetting because no one has talked about it before as there is a lot of shame and embarrassment around not being able to afford sanitary products.”



Tina Leslie of Freedom4Girls has now launched a crowdfunding page to raise money for research into the scale of the issue in the UK, calling for a comprehensive, nationwide study on the issue.

The news comes as a bill is about to go through the Scottish parliament to make it a requirement for schools to provide pads and tampons. A petition has since been started in the UK for Theresa May and the UK government to do the same.



Conservative MP Jason McCartney has since said he will raise the issue in parliament. He has said that he wants to get a group of MPs together to start a campaign for free sanitary products for young girls in need.