Free sanitary products to be available at over 30 locations across county Mayo
Free sanitary products will now be available at 30 different locations across Mayo in a step towards tackling period poverty in the region.
Mayo County Council have secured €15,000 in funding from the Department of Health to help fund the initiative that is part of the council’s wider responsibility to the national Healthy Ireland strategy.
Period poverty is defined as the ‘inadequate access to menstrual hygiene, including period products (for example, sanitary towels and tampons), washing, waste management facilities and education’ by Health Ireland.
Providing free sanitary products in public buildings was recommended in a report drafted by the Period Poverty Sub-Committee of the National Strategy for Women and Girls Committee. Published in 2021, the report recommended local authorities make period products readily available in libraries, community centres, leisure centres, and other public buildings.
Elmer Pieterse, the Healthy County Coordinator for Mayo said,
“This is about more than hygiene - it’s about dignity, health, and equity. Through the Healthy Ireland Fund, we are working to support all members of our community, and this is a key step forward".
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Mr Pieterse said
"Mayo County Council’s period poverty initiative is making a real difference in our communities. By providing free and accessible menstrual products, we are supporting women’s health and dignity, promoting health equity, and helping to break down the stigma surrounding periods. These initiatives also alleviate some of the financial and emotional pressures faced by women and girls in Mayo,
"It is about making these things accessible to people who are experiencing health inequality due to financial constraints, Mayo is also a very rural, so we want to make these accessible throughout the county.”
Certain groups find themselves more susceptible to experiencing period poverty. These can include; women in financially, physically or mentally abusive relationships, women experiencing homelessness, or women in a single-parent family. A scheme where sanitary products are made accessible will afford these groups a greater chance of avoiding period poverty and offer them greater health equity.
Mr Pieterse confirmed that a list of the 30 locations will be available on the Mayo.ie website within the next few days.
Dr Carol Duffy is a GP who runs Women’s Health West, a private gynaecological service based in Foxford, Mayo.
She spoke to the Irish Independent and welcomed the initiative saying,
"As well as helping to tackle the issue of period poverty, access to free period products will help raise awareness and will help de-stigmatise conversation around menstruation,
“Due to stress and trauma, vulnerable groups of women are more likely to struggle with menstrual disturbances and so increasing access to period products in these groups is very much needed.”
This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme