Another campaign for menstruation products on the campus

The availability of menstruation products on campus must be improved, free of charge, preferably. And WUR must ensure they are, say Let’s Talk About Yes Wageningen, WURbleeding, GreenOffice and the feminist student movement Thalia. To set an example, they placed a box in various lavatories, from which people can grab menstruation products and add products.

A campaign in Forum on Wednesday marks the kick-off of a community-based system. ‘We collect menstruation products, raise funds, sell reusable pads and provide information on menstruation, including the results of a recent study conducted by WURbleeding’, says LTAY representative Judith Rommens. That study revealed that no more than 2 per cent of the surveyed students and employees are satisfied with the current availability of menstruation products on campus. Ninety per cent is (very) dissatisfied.

The only places which have menstruation products available are currently the AH top Go and the vending machine on Forum’s ground floor. The vending machine only offers expensive tampons, no pads or other external products.

Previous attempts

‘We want emergency pads and tampons available in the washrooms. Many Dutch universities have already organised this, including Utrecht University, Erasmus University, Maastricht University and the University of Amsterdam,’ Rommens states. Meetings have been planned to get this set up in Wageningen. ‘But there is no certainty if and when this will get done at the moment. We launched this campaign to get a head start and set an example.’

“Menstruation and human rights”-researcher Inga Winkler supports the initiative, she tells Resource. She contributed to a similar campaign at another university. ‘We placed a basket with menstruation products in the lavatories as well as a poster on menstruation. We did the same in the men’s rooms, in part to provide trans males with access to menstruation products, but also to raise awareness among cis-men.’ She acknowledges that cutbacks may have an effect. ‘But menstruation products are as much a basic requirement as toilet paper or soap, and WUR doesn’t save on these either.’  
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This is not the first time that the limited availability of menstruation products is highlighted. Six years ago, a student of Communication, Health and Life Sciences, Anne Walther campaigned in favour of improved availability.  Since then, the issue was raised by the Student Council as well as by WURbleeding.

Women’s talk show Friday

This Wednesday’s campaign is part of the Feminist Festival Wageningen which takes place this week, leading up to International Women’s Day (8 March). Many festival activities take place in the city, but the Feminist Talk Show is to take place on Friday in Impulse on campus. The programme features many inspiring WUR women, including Professor Marielos Peña Claros, who discuss the women that influenced their careers. They also discuss the challenges they faced as women in the academic world (and beyond) and how they handled these challenges. The audience (m/f/x) is encouraged to participate in the discussion, ask questions and share experiences; the talk show is interactive. Registration through the festival site.

Also read:

[Seriously?] The Gulf of WUR

Long live Lebo

In the picture: Summervibes 2024