On August 26, 31 organisations, led by Nokuzola Ndwandwe of #TeamFreeSanitaryPads, will be marching from the Union Buildings to the Department of Women, Youths and Persons with Disabilities in Pretoria at 10:00 to hand over a petition demanding the recognition of menstrual rights by government.
Simultaneously, a second march, led by Asonele Kotu of FemConnect, will take place in Cape Town to Parliament to hand over the same petition to the legislature.
The petition states: “We cannot continue to allow lack of access to dignity to keep our girls out of school and allow women to miss out on career advancement opportunities.”
The campaign, #ItsAboutBloodyTime!, born of the petition, consists of several civil society organisations and political parties, namely the Kathrada Youth Activism Programme, Qrate NPC, Women’s Health Ekklesia NPO, Bleed Free, Girl Child, Pads R Us, Phuhlisa Development Service, Diallo Eco-Friendly Reusable Sanitary Products, Fundanani Afrika, Young and Bold Organization, Help-a-Girl, The Menstrual Project, Human Nature Community Project, The Town Crier Initiative, Femme Power, HIV/TB Solutions, UNICEF UWC, UNASA UCT Chapter, Mama Flo, Equal Education, Mina, Emthonjeni Counselling & Training, Floww, University of Cape Town, Wits University, University of Johannesburg, the African Transformation Movement, the African National Congress, the Economic Freedom Fighters.
The petition, which has over 27 000 signatures, demands:
1. The legislation of menstrual health and hygiene management for young girls and women through a menstrual health and hygiene bill.
2. The prioritisation of women, girls and people who menstruate through government budget policy tools.
3. The introduction of quality menstrual health and hygiene education in schools.
4. Access to sanitary dignity through, at the very least, the provision of free sanitary pads for all women, girls and people who menstruate to the same extent as the provision of free condoms.
The petition further states: “The promulgation of menstrual health and hygiene management legislation will be in line with meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
And that: “Access to sanitary dignity is a human right as per Section 27 of South Africa’s Constitution.”
About the petition starter and campaign organiser
Nokuzola Ndwandwe is an award-winning South African activist for menstrual health and hygiene management, thought leader and founder of Team Free Sanitary Pads NPC, an organisation that strongly advocates for menstrual health rights and access to free menstrual products for all.
Asonele Kotu is the founder of FemConnect, an award-winning femtech startup that creates digital solutions for period poverty support and provides access to comprehensive SRHR telehealth services to achieve equality, access to diversity and quality healthcare services for all.
About Change.org
Change.org is the world‘s largest platform for social change, with over 450 million users globally, and over 5,6 million users in South Africa.
Every day, millions of people use Change.org to start, sign, and support petitions on issues that matter to their lives and communities, creating powerful campaigns that drive real change.
Their mission is to empower people everywhere to create the change they want to see. Their vision is a world where no one is powerless, and creating change is part of everyday life.
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