(Glasgow, Scotland) In a washroom at Glasgow’s Museum of Modern Art, in the center of Scotland’s largest city, a fabric cubbyhole hangs on the wall. In the colored pockets, tampons and sanitary napkins are available to users, who can use them free of charge.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
There are now 109 of these “menstrual service points” in Glasgow, in the toilets of public buildings (town halls, libraries, community and sports centres, swimming pools, etc.) and several organizations that help the homeless. shelter. Menstrual products have also been offered in schools, colleges and universities since 2017.
PHOTO ISABELLE DUCAS, THE PRESS
Menstrual products offered free of charge in the toilets of the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art
“The products are accessible, no one has to ask anyone for permission. You can take just one, or take what you need for a whole month,” says Lauren Heaney, coordinator of these service points for the homeless organization Simon Community, who talks about “menstrual dignity when describing the project.
For supplies, Lauren Heaney has recruited 54 volunteers who are responsible for ensuring that the service points are always well stocked.
“Over time, they know how many products are needed, depending on the demographics and footfall of the place,” she says.
With the help of the local council, Simon Community launched the first menstrual service points in 2017, with the aim of helping homeless women first.
Home deliveries
Last month, free menstrual products were made available across Scotland, thanks to a law passed by Parliament. Local councils and school boards now have an obligation to ensure that products are available everywhere, for everyone.
Scottish women can download the app Pickupmy. to locate where tampons and sanitary napkins are available. Outside the cities, they can order these products online and receive them at home.
“This law corrects a historic gender injustice,” said Labor MP Monica Lennon, who made free menstrual products her main concern when she was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.
PHOTO FROM MONICA LENNON’S WEBSITE
Monica Lennon, Labor MP
Periods are a normal part of a woman’s life, so why should they have to pay a premium for period products? Not all women can afford it. No one should have to live in menstrual poverty.
Monica Lennon, Labor MP
Mme Lennon recalls that her idea seemed radical when she first brought it up in the House, but she was able to convince Parliament to go ahead by persevering. “The government finally realized that the population was in favor of such a measure,” she says.
The annual cost of the operation is estimated at 10 million pounds sterling (15 million Canadian dollars), reports Monica Lennon, for a total population of 5 million inhabitants.
Glasgow was the first city to appoint a ‘Menstrual Dignity Officer’ to oversee the availability of sanitary pads and tampons in its territory. During the month of August, 16,000 menstrual pads were distributed, says Lorraine Mohr, who has held this position since last February.
“Glasgow has a high proportion of its population who live below the poverty line, notes Mme Mohr. A study showed that 6% of young girls previously missed school because they did not have access to menstrual products. Since they have been offered free of charge in the schools, the rate of absenteeism has dropped considerably. »