'˜Provide tampons and towels at sports clubs'

Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy has called for the provision of free tampons and sanitary towels at all public amenities in Derry, including football clubs.

Colr. Duffy said momentum must be kept up in an ongoing #FreePeriod campaign, which aims to make sanitary products as free and ubiquitous as soap, and end ‘period poverty.’

She was speaking after a group of Glasgow Celtic supporters launched a petition asking the Scottish club to install dispensers at Celtic Park.

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Colr. Sandra Duffy said sports clubs and other organisations here should do likewise.

“A number of months ago I gave my full backing to the #FreePeriod campaign and I was pleased to see over the Easter holidays that in Scotland a number of young female football supporters have urged Celtic Football Club to take the initiative to be one of first clubs to offer the facility to provide free sanitary products at their stadium,” she said.

“In the coming months I will be meeting with as many groups as possible to try and get people to buy into supporting the #FreePeriod campaign. And at the same time bringing about practical ways it can be both supported and implemented here in as many public buildings as possible.

“I believe that our young women cannot continue to be disadvantaged in this way, these items which are essentials not luxury and should be freely available. These are our daughters and sisters and they should not be made feel ashamed of what is a natural part of being female.”

A bill calling for an end to ‘period poverty’is currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament.