The BMJ Appeal 2023-24: Periods don’t stop for disasters

The plight of women and girls managing menstruation during humanitarian crises is below the radar of many aid organisations. But it’s a priority for ActionAid UK, the choice for The BMJ’s annual appeal this year—and the charity’s response to the September earthquake in Morocco shows why.

That earthquake, which killed 3000 people and left 300 000 homeless, hit the remote Atlas Mountains—a very poor region that already had a high level of inequality, says Halima Begum, chief executive of ActionAid UK. This had led to widespread sexual exploitation through domestic work and meant that child marriage was a constant risk.

She says, “Thousands of women and girls are now living in rudimentary shelter without access to menstrual products, either because of lack of availability or lack of funds to buy them, and without access to facilities to wash their clothes.

“The need for period products can be overlooked in the rush to provide food and shelter. And it will continue to be overlooked if women’s voices are not heard. The gender inequality and discrimination that women and girls experience in their daily lives continues …