Women prisoners: they make up 4% of the total prison population but they have to deal with an institution designed only for male use

ROMA – In a structure, the prison, not designed or built to suit people, there is further discrimination: it is what women suffer. Female prisoners make up four percent of the total prison population but they have to deal with an institution designed solely and exclusively for men. Where there is no regulation, law or norm based on gender identity.

In prison we forget about hygiene supplies. And among the thousand problems that women deprived of their freedom have to face on a daily basis, there is one that is always talked about too little: not having access to menstrual hygiene products. It is true that some institute managements provide swabs to inmates but always in an insufficient quantity and without offering them any possibility of choice. This is when it goes well, because there are several cases of prisons that for many reasons “forget” about the supply, leaving women alone.

And so we resort to “surviving”. The alternative then is to purchase suitable tampons and pads. But to do this you need to turn to the so-called “survivor”, that market office which in every prison offers – for a fee – products in addition to those distributed in the cells. At market prices, or almost. To purchase them, however, you need to have money in your deposit account. And as you can imagine, not everyone has them.

Countryside “Absorb the change”. He organizes it, the Emergency Service Discomfort (PID)with many other associations of Third sector Roman, inside the project “Practices beyond stereotypes”, coordinated byItalian Association of Women for Development (Aidos). A simple campaign to talk about: you can donate or bring classic sanitary pads – of any brand – and absorbent panties to the women’s house, Lucha & Siesta, in via Lucio Sestio 10 in Rome (or to the offices of the Libellula associations, via Giustino Imperatore 280, Archivio14, via Lariana 14 and PID (via Viollier 109, also in Rome). Only sanitary napkins and panties in any case, not tampons because due to one of the many, mysterious and inexplicable prison rules the latter are not allowed.

The collection of material. Which will end on May 28, World Menstrual Hygiene Day. But not only. Because the PID has in mind and has already organized a sort of laboratory in various penitentiary institutions: meetings where they will tell the inmates about the usefulness of some products such as absorbent cups and underwear that could help them face the period behind bars.