AS a community worker in Glasgow, Lorraine Mohr was well aware of the issues and stigma surrounding periods.
Reports of women and girls forced to use toilet paper, rags and old clothes in place of sanitary pads, or having to choose between buying food or tampons because they simply could not afford the products, were nothing new.
Lorraine worked in community development, helping grass-roots groups find funding, for eight years before “jumping at the chance” to become Glasgow’s period dignity officer – the first in Scotland.
“Working with a lot of small charities, I saw directly the impact the cost of living crisis is having, and many of them were already giving out free period products to try and help people,” she says.
“They would be asking, how can we get more funding to do more of this, how can we help more people? So I knew the impact this legislation would have. It is life-changing for some women and girls.”
February is Glasgow’s Period Dignity Month – another first in Scotland – and Lorraine and her team have been out and about across the city raising awareness of the free period products act.
Adverts are appearing on buses, in the subway and on social media, and at a recent event in Holyrood Secondary attended by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Shona Robison and Councillor Christina Cannon, the city’s education convener, pupils from the school’s period dignity group spoke about the work they have been doing to raise awareness.
Councillor Cannon said: “The Holyrood Secondary period dignity group were so eloquent in their presentation to an audience that included local primary pupils and key stakeholders, and they are doing amazing work to make sure the conversation on this important subject continues.
“Period products are a right not a luxury. I will continue to support the partnership working between the council, Hey Girls and the Simon Community to expand on the network of more than 300 outlets providing free products across our city.”
The Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Act 2021 places responsibility on local authorities and education providers across the country to make period products accessible and free of charge for anyone who needs them.
An app, PickupMyPeriod, developed by Hey Girls and funded by the Scottish Government, helps users identify where free period products will be available.
Schools in Glasgow have provided free period products to pupils since 2017, after a pilot in four schools - Castlemilk High, Hillpark Secondary, St Paul's High and Smithycroft Secondary – was then extended to all 30 secondaries in the city.
To facilitate the roll out, the council teamed up with Hey Girls which supplied supplementary educational materials including booklets and posters to help assist in breaking down the stigma and taboo surrounding periods.
In addition, the council has a partnership with Simon Community Scotland to increase period friendly points across the city. Each point offers a range of Hey Girls Period products, new underwear and wipes, where people can help themselves to what they require without the need to ask.
On a recent fact-finding mission, councillors from Northern Ireland visited Glasgow ahead of legislation being introduced there next year.
“They were really keen to find out how we run the scheme day to day, the budgeting process – they called it a ‘learning journey’ and we were really pleased to be able to help them,” says Lorraine, proudly.
“We did a presentation for them and it was actually quite amazing how much we have achieved in a short time, and how busy we have been.”
At a recent awareness-raising event in the Buchanan Galleries, the team gave out hundreds of free products including reusable pads, tampons, cups and pants.
A similar event will take place at the Forge shopping centre in the East End on Friday, February 24, from 9.30am to 1.30pm.
“It is a massive publicity campaign, right across the city, and we hope to do more in the future,” says Lorraine. “From being a subject that’s not talked about, it’s everywhere and that’s great.”
She adds: “I’m 39, I was at school in the 90s and periods just were not talked about. We’d have been mortified to even go and talk to a teacher about it.
“So it is really refreshing to hear 15- and 16-year-old girls talking so openly about their experiences.”
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