Schools in England will now provide free sanitary products to all female students

A fantastic move.

Today is a great day. It has been announced that free sanitary products will be available in schools in England from September of this year. The government confirmed the news today. Chancellor Philip Hammond made the announcement in his Spring Statement in what is a great victory for 'period poverty' campaigners. The announcement comes after warnings that young girls were resorting to desperate measures and missing classes as a result of the lack of sanitary products. He said he would "fund the provision of free sanitary products in secondary schools and colleges in England from the next school year." Great news. Period poverty in Ireland, however, is still very much a reality. Last year, a survey of more than 1,100 young women aged between 12-19 years revealed that nearly 50 per cent of Irish teenage girls find it difficult to afford sanitary towels and tampons. Some 109 of the young women who participated in the survey said they were forced to use a “less suitable sanitary product” because of the high monthly cost involved.