Girls say they are being denied toilet breaks and given detention for taking too long in the loo while on their periods.
Young women told The Independent they struggled to access free products in schools and were having “awkward” conversations with “insensitive” teachers about their periods. They also raised concerns about not being taught about menstruation and said they were bullied by male classmates over their periods.
It comes as damning new research, carried out by a coalition of UK charities campaigning against period poverty, found six in 10 girls have found it difficult to go the toilet while on their period during lessons.
It found a third of young people are skipping school due to struggles to access period products as well as the stigma around menstruation in schools. This is estimated to amount to over three million school days missed each year.
The study, which Bloody Good Period, Irise, In Kind Direct, Cysters, and Freedom4Girls contributed to, found a quarter of girls said they were forced to state exactly why they need the loo.
