Proposer: Aheesha Zahir
Motion Title: Advancing Women’s Health and Sanitary Rights in the UK
This party acknowledges the critical importance of women’s health and sanitary rights as essential human rights that empower women and girls in the UK.
1. Access to comprehensive healthcare, including sexual and reproductive services, is vital for women’s health.
2. Nearly 10% of girls in the UK have faced affordability issues with menstrual products (Plan International UK, 2021).
3. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (2020) reported that 1 in 7 women in the UK has experienced period poverty, adversely affecting their health and education.
4. A study by End Period Poverty found that 27% of young women aged 14-21 missed school due to lack of access to sanitary products.
5. Research highlights that insufficient menstrual education perpetuates misinformation and stigma.
6. Limited funding for women’s health initiatives impedes progress toward gender equality and sustainable development.
7. Although VAT on menstrual products was abolished in 2021, consistent access requires further measures.
Therefore, this assembly calls for:
1. A national strategy to ensure all women and girls have access to free sanitary products in schools, communities, and workplaces, especially targeting low-income areas.
2. Integration of comprehensive menstrual health education into the national curriculum to eliminate stigma and promote awareness.
3. Increased funding and support for initiatives aimed at addressing period poverty among marginalised groups, including low-income families and homeless women.
4. Collaboration among government, healthcare providers, and NGOs to develop resources that address women’s health needs, including funding for research on menstrual disorders.
5. Ongoing awareness campaigns to empower women and girls about their health rights and enhance understanding of sanitary products and menstrual health.
Conclusion:
By adopting this motion, we commit to creating an environment in the UK where women’s health and sanitary rights are prioritised, ensuring that all women and girls can lead dignified lives free from stigma.
Action Items:
Form a committee to draft a detailed implementation plan for the proposed initiatives.
– Create outreach programs with educational institutions to promote menstrual health education.
– Schedule a follow-up meeting to assess progress and challenges in implementing these initiatives.
Structured Breakdown:
Objectives:
1. Increase Accessibility: Ensure all women and girls have access to free, high-quality sanitary products in schools and communities.
2. Enhance Education: Integrate menstrual health education into the national curriculum.
3. Address Period Poverty: Provide increased funding for period poverty initiatives targeting marginalised groups.
4. Foster Collaboration: Build partnerships among government agencies, healthcare providers, and NGOs.
5. Raise Awareness: Launch campaigns to empower women and girls regarding their sanitary rights.
Outcomes:
1. Improved Access: Increased distribution of free sanitary products in schools and community centers. 2. Informed Communities: Enhanced menstrual health knowledge leading to reduced stigma.
3. Reduced Period Poverty: Fewer women and girls facing challenges accessing sanitary products.
4. Coordinated Support: A network developed for collaboration in women’s health services.
5. Empowerment Initiatives: Increased participation by women and girls in health discussions.
Benefits:
1. Better Health Outcomes: Improved physical and mental health for women and girls.
2. Enhanced Educational Attainment: Reduced period-related absences, increasing retention rates.
3. Increased Gender Equality: Progress towards gender equality in health and education.
4. Community Engagement: Heightened awareness and support for menstrual health issues.
5. Sustainable Practices: Long-term benefits created by prioritising women’s health.
Next Steps:
1. Form a Committee: Include diverse stakeholders to outline the implementation plan.
2. Conduct Research: Identify current gaps in access and education on sanitary products.
3. Engage Stakeholders: Meet with schools and community leaders to address needs.
4. Develop an Awareness Campaign: Create materials promoting menstrual health education.
5. Monitor and Evaluate: Establish success metrics to regularly assess progress and adapt as needed. These steps will effectively improve women’s health and sanitary rights in the UK.
Amendment
Mover Peter Higgins
To delete entirely the following which the Workers Party does not have the capacity nor funds to take up:
Action Items:
Form a committee to draft a detailed implementation plan for the proposed initiatives.
– Create outreach programs with educational institutions to promote menstrual health education.
– Schedule a follow-up meeting to assess progress and challenges in implementing these initiatives.
Structured Breakdown:
Objectives:
1. Increase Accessibility: Ensure all women and girls have access to free, high-quality sanitary products in schools and communities.
2. Enhance Education: Integrate menstrual health education into the national curriculum.
3. Address Period Poverty: Provide increased funding for period poverty initiatives targeting marginalised groups.
4. Foster Collaboration: Build partnerships among government agencies, healthcare providers, and NGOs.
5. Raise Awareness: Launch campaigns to empower women and girls regarding their sanitary rights.
Outcomes:
1. Improved Access: Increased distribution of free sanitary products in schools and community centers. 2. Informed Communities: Enhanced menstrual health knowledge leading to reduced stigma.
3. Reduced Period Poverty: Fewer women and girls facing challenges accessing sanitary products.
4. Coordinated Support: A network developed for collaboration in women’s health services.
5. Empowerment Initiatives: Increased participation by women and girls in health discussions.
Benefits:
1. Better Health Outcomes: Improved physical and mental health for women and girls.
2. Enhanced Educational Attainment: Reduced period-related absences, increasing retention rates.
3. Increased Gender Equality: Progress towards gender equality in health and education.
4. Community Engagement: Heightened awareness and support for menstrual health issues.
5. Sustainable Practices: Long-term benefits created by prioritising women’s health.
Next Steps:
1. Form a Committee: Include diverse stakeholders to outline the implementation plan.
2. Conduct Research: Identify current gaps in access and education on sanitary products.
3. Engage Stakeholders: Meet with schools and community leaders to address needs.
4. Develop an Awareness Campaign: Create materials promoting menstrual health education.
5. Monitor and Evaluate: Establish success metrics to regularly assess progress and adapt as needed. These steps will effectively improve women’s health and sanitary rights in the UK.
While I agree with the sentiment of this motion, I think it misses the wood for the trees. Instead of focussing on ‘period poverty’ we should and do highlight ‘poverty’. The problem is not the cost of sanitary products but that the working class in Britain are being exploited by a ruling class who have overseen falling wages and increasing cost of living. I think devoting limited Party resources to this issue in the current conditions would be a mistake. The issue is our whole political and economic system, it does not serve the interests of the working men and women of this country and their families. We highlight the problem that workers face the choice between heating or eating, but we don’t campaign specifically on food poverty etc. The problem is poverty and the conditions faced by all workers in Britain.
Complete support for Lauren here