HOMELESS women in Scotland's largest city are to be given free sanitary products for the first time.
A charity which supports those living on the streets is to add the products to the items issued by its 'street team' in Glasgow, which already includes basics, such as food, needle exchange and sleeping bags.
Simon Community Scotland’s said that the addition of tampons is a recognition of the issue of ‘period poverty’ and the growing number of women who are becoming homeless and sleeping rough in the city.
Women will be provided bags containing sanitary products, underwear, wipes and disposable bags, plus credit card-sized information booklets to help women access wider services in the city such as healthcare and housing.
A survey carried out by the charity among women who use its accommodation services and found that more than half said they used toilet paper or newspaper to manage their monthly period because they couldn’t afford tampons.
The bags are being labelled, ‘Period Friendly Pax' and they will be available at various points throughout the city, including day centres and homelessness services.
These points will also offer the chance for women to speak to trained staff, on issues such as personal health and hygiene.
Lorraine McGrath, chief executive at Simon Community Scotland said: “Homeless women often didn’t have the opportunity to discuss their periods with their mother, at school or with peers as a consequence of traumatic childhood and institutional care.
“The women are often embarrassed to talk about their periods or ask for sanitary products when they need them and have no means to purchase them.
“For women on the street, and even in supported services, they will often choose to buy food, alcohol, drugs or a bed for the night rather than sanitary products.
“And even for those women who use proper sanitary products, they will often use them for longer than they should; therefore risking infection and toxic shock.”
Last week Monica Lennon MSP introduced called for women to have the legal right to access sanitary products, including a duty on schools, colleges and universities to provide them for free in female toilets.
Ms Lennon said: “This is an inspiring initiative from Simon Community Scotland. We know that homelessness makes managing periods very challenging and not having access to sanitary products is compounded by the fact that is isn’t easy to access warm water and the privacy of a safe place to look after yourself.
“The added stress of living on the streets during your period and having menstrual blood staining your clothes is an experience that no-one should have to face and I applaud Simon Community Scotland for addressing the unmet needs of vulnerable homeless people.
“Access to sanitary products is about maintaining basic human rights and dignity."
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