In response to Layla Moran MP's comments in parliament on 29 November about period poverty:
Tanya Barron, Chief Executive of the girls’ rights charity Plan International UK, which is campaigning to decrease the stigma around periods, said, “Layla Moran should be applauded for speaking openly in parliament about the embarrassment she felt getting a period blood stain on her school skirt when she was twelve.
"Her experience resonates with girls across the country, for whom shame and embarrassment about their period are a monthly reality.
“In fact our recent research shows that nearly half (48%) of girls in the UK are embarrassed by their periods. And Layla Moran is also right that girls are missing school, with nearly half (49%) of girls telling us they have missed an entire day of school because of their period.
"Girls are not only dealing with the pain and discomfort that comes with periods, but the institutionalised stigma too. This is something we need to address and tackle by encouraging open discussion and by better equipping girls with tools and information to manage their periods effectively, without shame or embarrassment.”
Response to Layla Moran MP's comments
In response to Layla Moran MP's comments in parliament on 29 November about period poverty:
Tanya Barron, Chief Executive of the girls’ rights charity Plan International UK, which is campaigning to decrease the stigma around periods, said, “Layla Moran should be applauded for speaking openly in parliament about the embarrassment she felt getting a period blood stain on her school skirt when she was twelve.
"Her experience resonates with girls across the country, for whom shame and embarrassment about their period are a monthly reality.
“In fact our recent research shows that nearly half (48%) of girls in the UK are embarrassed by their periods. And Layla Moran is also right that girls are missing school, with nearly half (49%) of girls telling us they have missed an entire day of school because of their period.
"Girls are not only dealing with the pain and discomfort that comes with periods, but the institutionalised stigma too. This is something we need to address and tackle by encouraging open discussion and by better equipping girls with tools and information to manage their periods effectively, without shame or embarrassment.”