End Period Poverty

 Period poverty is a global issue affecting menstruators who don't have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products, and who are unable to manage their periods with dignity, sometimes due to community stigma and sanction. One of the main reasons behind period poverty is due to something known as the Tampon Tax, which considers period products to be unnecessary and luxury items, causing them to be taxed extra. 

 Many menstruators all over the world are facing period poverty, and Code Red hopes to make period products accessible to everyone. Some places that experience period poverty are:

Schools - Menstrual hygiene products are a right and must be made accessible to students as they impede freedom of learning, health, and participation in schools. Oftentimes, low income students are the ones experiencing period poverty due to a lack of affordability and inaccessibility of period products in schools. But in reality, these students should not need to worry about their basic needs and should focus on reaching their full academic potential. 

Shelters - Pads and tampons are not medical expenses by the Internal Revenue Service. They cannot be purchased via government assistance programs, which disproportionately affects menstruators in the homeless community. To learn more about what homeless menstruators face everyday, watch this video.

Prisons - Menstrual supplies are not given in prison and other correctional facilities, due to the fact that most states don’t have menstrual equity laws passed. Instead, other alternatives are used by prisoners on their period, which is unsanitary and dangerous, leading to infertility and other medical problems.

About 500 million menstruators can't access menstrual products or hygiene facilities

10% of college students experience period poverty every month

US taxed period products from 4.7% to 10% in 2019

 There are a few ways that you can make a positive impact! First, donations are definitely a way to help increase the reach of period products to those affected by period poverty. Donations can be made through local donation drives near you. Alternatively, you could donate to the Code Red GoFundMe or our donation drives. Second, learn if your state legislator already supports menstrual equity through legislative trackers (check last 3 sources). If they don’t, try reaching out to them and push them to take action. Moreover, take charge in your own community by advocating period positivity. This can be done through running letter writing campaigns where you encourage other individuals to write to legislators to support menstrual equity. Finally, you can post about period poverty on social media and share the message with others!