The Periodic Coalition appeared in the Senate at the invitation of Senator Beata Małecka-Libera, chairman of the Senate group "Health of Poles", deputy Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, deputy chairman of the Sejm Social Policy and Family Committee, and deputy Joanna Frydrych, chairman of the Sejm Permanent Subcommittee for Social Policy.
The debate concerned, inter alia, the recently famous issue of menstrual leaves, the availability of sanitary pads and tampons in Polish schools or companies, and education related to menstrual health.
- We create educational content on the Internet. Some of our videos have over 1.5 million views, and it's a huge privilege that so many people want to learn from them. But TikTok cannot be a main space of imparting knowledge. This shows how great the demand for basic knowledge is in young people. The main way of transmitting it, however, should be systemic changes - said Aleksandra Walczak from the Akcja Menstruacja.
In addition to representatives of the Senate, the discussion was also attended by MPs (including Monika Rosa and Katarzyna Lubnauer), representatives of the local government, social activists and members of the Periodic Coalition.
- Every day, from every region of Poland, we get requests for Różowa Skrzyneczka, which contains free tampons and sanitary pads. We receive requests from monasteries, parishes and Catholic institutions. This clearly shows that we have the support of the public. This society is ready for sanitary pads and tampons in public spaces. People want to talk about it - said Ewa Szymera from Różowa Skrzyneczka.
During the debate in the Senate, the results of the research on the perception of menstruation in Poland were presented. Legal solutions and good practices regarding menstrual health and hygiene used in the world were also presented, which became the starting point for the search for optimal legal solutions in the context of our country.
- We have the debates in the Sejm and Senate behind us. Education must be dealt with because it simply does not exist. The second issue is accessibility. I believe that this accessibility must first be ensured in schools. The school should receive the money to buy menstrual hygiene products. These solutions must be top-down, summed up Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz.
One of the conclusions of the debate is the plan to prepare the first Polish bill on menstruation. Most likely, the proposed changes to the regulations will address the issue of availability of menstrual supplies in schools. The assumptions of the project are to be developed by the Periodic Coalition.
- This is a historic and breakthrough moment. For the first time in the history, the Polish Parliament dealt with the topic of poverty and menstrual exclusion. It is also the crowning achievement of over a year of hard work of many women from the Periodic Coalition. We will do everything to make MPs go a step further and, like Scotland, France, England and New Zealand, introduce free access to menstrual drugs. Let's start with schools and universities - says Dominika Kulczyk, President of the Kulczyk Foundation.
The parliamentary debate is the first time the topic of menstruation has entered the Senate. Earlier, the activists of the Periodic Coalition had attended two meetings of the Sejm Standing Subcommittee for Social Policy.
The Periodic Coalition is an association of the most important organizations and experts dealing with the topic of menstruation. The Periodic Coalition consists of: Akcja Menstruacja, prof. dr hab. Iwona Chmura-Rutkowska, UAM, Fundacja Ja, Nauczyciel, dr n. hum Alicja Długołęcka, Fundacja im. Julii Woykowskiej, Fundacja One Day, Fundacja Pokonać Endometriozę, Grupa Ponton, Jak Wychowywać Dziewczynki, Kulczyk Foundation, Natalia Miłuńska - miesiaczka.com, moonka, Pani Miesiączka, Polski Czerwony Krzyż, Projekt Masterki, Różowa Skrzyneczka, Stowarzyszenie Pogotowie Społeczne, Szajn.
