Period poverty among incarcerated women is a critical yet often overlooked issue. My non-profit organisation, Elam Empowerment, ran a pad and diapers drive for the women and babies at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in December 2023, where we collected and donated essential menstrual hygiene products and baby products.

In just two weeks of running this drive, we were able to deliver 132 diapers, 240 wipes, nearly 90 packs of pads (approximately 800 pads), and a box filled with baby clothes. During our initial contact, a prison staff member expressed immense relief and gratitude, highlighting the ongoing struggle to maintain a healthy supply of pads. This is not an isolated issue; it reflects a broader systemic problem. This heartbreaking reality fueled our commitment to end period poverty for all women, including those who are incarcerated.

Although our efforts made a significant impact, they also highlighted the immense ongoing need for consistent menstrual hygiene support in some prisons. We believe that menstrual health is a basic human right and that the government must prioritise it in the budgets allocated to correctional facilities because it is unsustainable for some prisons to be reliant on civil society interventions.

I am Siphesihle Ndwandwe, a Nguvu Collective Change leader, and I am calling on Minister Pieter Groenewald, Minister of Correctional Services, to prioritise menstrual health for incarcerated women in the South African carceral system, ensuring that the correctional services budget adequately addresses this vital need.

Research indicates that the bulk of correctional services budgets are allocated to male prisons due to their larger populations. Within the female prisons, budget allocations for menstrual hygiene are inconsistent, pointing to a potential absence of a direct policy addressing this issue. Some prisons have adequate budgets or tendering systems for menstrual products, while others, like Kgosi Mampuru II Prison, face shortages.

We are calling on the Minister of Correctional Services to:

1. Ensure a standard policy across all female prisons for the provision of adequate menstrual products.

2. Prioritise menstrual health in the correctional system budgeting process to ensure an adequate and consistent supply of menstrual hygiene products for all incarcerated women.

3. Conduct regular audits to assess the availability and quality of menstrual products in all female prisons.

Your signature can help us bring about this crucial change. By signing this petition, you are standing with us in demanding that Minister Groenewald take immediate action to prioritise women's menstrual health in prisons. Together, we can end period poverty for all women, including those who are incarcerated because period dignity is human dignity.

#MenstrualJusticeForAll #PrisonPeriodDignity

We are also running another pad drive for the women at Kgosi Mampuru II Prison. For all sanitary product donations, please contact us at elamempowerment@gmail.com

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