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Free menstrual products available in Manchester libraries to tackle period poverty
‘Women and girls in our city are struggling to afford the basic need and dignity of accessing menstrual products’
Free menstrual products are being offered in Manchester libraries as part of a campaign to tackle period poverty.
The ‘Package For Val’ campaign, by Manchester City Council, was launched on International Women’s Day to help women and girls in Greater Manchester who struggle to afford menstrual products amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Initially trialled at Manchester Central Library, the campaign has now extended to 18 community libraries across the city-region including in Newton Heath, Gorton, and Withington.
It comes after a representative survey of 1,000 young women and girls aged 14-21 revealed that one in seven girls struggle to afford period products, with one in 10 unable to access sanitary protection regularly.
The aim is to provide women and girls affected by rising costs to have access to necessary menstrual products so that they can go about their daily lives without the added worry of managing their periods safely and hygienically.
Each package includes two sanitary towels discreetly packaged in a paper bag, available to anyone who asks for a ‘Package for Val’ at the library counter.
Awareness posters are displayed in public toilets to inform those in need of the scheme.
Councillor Adele Douglas, Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure at Manchester City Council, has been highlighting the importance of addressing period poverty and promoting open conversations about it.
She said: “Women and girls in our city are struggling to afford the basic need and dignity of accessing menstrual products.
“The ‘Package for Val’ campaign in libraries means we can now help women and girls experience what is a natural part of life without shame or embarrassment.
“Launching this on International Women’s Day gives us all a chance to not only remember the incredible strides of young women in Mancunian history, but also to begin breaking down stigma and creating open conversation about what period poverty really means for young women and girls.”