Hey Girls launches UNsanitary to tackle period poverty
By Lucy Turner on Friday, February 21, 2020
Social enterprise Hey Girls and The Big Issue have launched the ‘UNsanitary’ campaign to raise awareness of how poverty-stricken girls and young women are forced to use unhygienic alternatives to sanitary products.
According to research, one in 10 girls and young women are regularly forced to use unsanitary items because they cannot afford real sanitary products.
The ‘Unsanitary’ range resembles exiting sanitary products however, on closer inspection, the products comprise unsanitary items girls are often forced to use – such as socks, newspaper and toilet paper.
The products were on display at pop-ups in selected Asda stores on 15 February.
Proceeds from sales of many of Hey Girls’ sanitary products are donated to help girls and young women in need.
To help drive awareness and education, The Big Issue created a special edition, which includes a 24-page special mini-magazine about periods, menstrual products, poverty, activism and the environment – and what can be done to help.
Celia Hodson, founder of Hey Girls, said: “We created ‘UNsanitary’ to provoke awareness about the shocking extent of period poverty in the UK. Progress is being made, but we knew we needed to do something drastic for large numbers of people to take notice of what so many women and girls are going through. We hope the campaign will rally businesses and the Government to instigate more radical changes.”