Funding sought for free school period products

Cork City Council will write to the Department of Education to request funding to provide free period products in all secondary schools, and in all primary schools for fourth class students and above.

The council also recognised that “access to period products is a basic matter of dignity, health and equality, and that no child should miss school due to lack of access”.

Cllr Ciara O’Connor, who proposed the motion, said that previous initiatives by the council, such as the Period Dignity Project, showed that when period products are provided in a “simple, stigma-free way” that they are used.

“Now it’s time for Government to step up and make sure that every student, in every school, has that same level of dignity and support,” she said.

The Period Dignity Project, which launched in 2022, provides free tampons and sanitary towels to women in Cork city. The council has distributed 178,000 period products - 80,040 tampons, and 98,040 sanitary towels.

Cllr O’Connor said the reality for young people trying to navigate periods is that support is often not there.

The Labour councillor said: “I got my period at a very young age, while I was still in primary school. I remember how confusing that felt, how unprepared I was, and how self-conscious it made me in a school environment. I was lucky, I had the support of my mother, and that helped me navigate it.

“Not every young person has that support at home. Not every young person is prepared. And far too many are still caught out in school, dealing with embarrassment, anxiety, and in some cases, missing class altogether,” she said.

Cllr O’Connor said she would like to see a commitment made in the next budget, with a phased rollout over the next year.

A 2021 Oireachtas report into period poverty citing a 2018 survey found that approximately 50% of girls aged between 12-19 reported occasionally experiencing period poverty, with 10% using unsuitable products due to cost barriers.

Absence from school as a result of their period was reported by 61% of respondents.

Free period product policies have been adopted by a number of governments worldwide in recent years.

In 2021, the Scottish government passed the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act, which mandated local authorities, schools, and universities to provide period products free of charge.

Local authorities also offer an order and delivery service for products.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education provides free period products in state and state-integrated schools, which includes an estimated 97% of students.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.