Amika George is no stranger to the fight against period poverty.
Founding the #FreePeriods movement at 17, the 19-year-old activist has now launched a legal campaign calling for Westminster to provide free menstrual products to all schoolchildren in England, following in the footsteps of the Scottish Government’s landmark move last summer.
The campaign launched today with a crowdfunder to raise £10k for legal fees.
Advised by law firm Hausfeld & Co, the battle will continue calls for Westminster to ensure girls in England aren’t missing out on vital education because of no access to period products.
“I am tired of the government’s inaction and so, just over one year on from our Free Periods protest to Parliament, I am proud to launch a legal campaign, calling on the UK government to provide free, universally accessible menstrual products in schools and colleges,” said George.
“With support from others, we are confident that we can bring positive change to our communities by offering young girls access to the menstrual products they need in order to participate in their education, which is their fundamental human right.”
A film from Emmy-award winning Lina Plioplyte, featuring George and ten schoolgirls from a school in London, accompanied the launch.
The #FreePeriods short film is here! It features girls from schools in London, including my own. It's powerful. Please watch, please share and please get involved here: https://t.co/IH1gErdXi6 pic.twitter.com/VB2wAAgbIl
— Amika George (@AmikaGeorge) January 8, 2019
George’s campaign is the latest in a groundswell of grassroots movements fighting for change as stark figures outline the extent of period poverty in the UK, with Plan International UK revealing 137,7000 girls missed a day of school in 2017 because they couldn’t afford menstrual products.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)