Society needs to go with the flow and speak openly to tackle stigma around period poverty. Period! - Laura Collins, YEP editor

it’s a harrowing story that happened right here in a classroom in this very city.

One young girl was so determined not to miss out on her lessons that she rolled a sock into her underwear –while she was on her period.

This young lady did not have access to a sanitary towel or a tampon because she couldn’t afford one.

A pair of socks was all she had to hand to spare her blushes at school. Yet she is not alone.

For some teachers it’s not out of the ordinary to see blood on their classroom chairs at the end of the school day.

It will be an all too regular occurrence of young girls skipping school while they would much rather deal with their monthly period in the comfort of their own home to avoid the embarrassment.

It’s a sad fact that in such a progressive and modern thinking society that period poverty is a very real issue.

One in seven girls have asked to borrow sanitary wear from a friend because they can’t afford them.

But today marks a turning point in the debate.

The Government has said that period products will be available to all schools and colleges in England from this week to make sure that pupils do not miss out on lessons due to their period. It is also a nod towards helping to break down the stigma surrounding menstruation.

Leeds as a city has helped to lead and champion that debate. In 2017 Leeds City College started its own period poverty campaign to supply thousands of sanitary products to students while Carr Manor Community School led a pilot study into the issue. The local authority, which became the first city council in the country to announce plans to combat period poverty, joined forces with the University of Leeds to conduct research.

And Leeds-based Freedom4Girls have led the charge nationally to raise awareness of period poverty.

Every youngster in Leeds deserves the very best start to life. And the basic human function of menstruation should not be a barrier to young women across our city.

Surely it’s a basic human right that young women should be able to access sanitary products? And this is certainly a step in the right direction. But as a society we need to stop shying away from the taboo and go with the flow when it comes to talking about the stigma surrounding menstruation.

We need to broaden the debate out to cover women who are perhaps experiencing some of the most challenging times in their life.

Be that those fleeing abusive relationships and heading to refuges with just the clothes on their back.

It is also about looking at how foodbanks can support women who are living on the breadline who prioritise food on the table rather than sanitary products in their cupboard. And what about those living on the streets?

We need to keep the conversation going as a city.

And this is just the very start of tackling that stigma and taboo. Period.