Period Poverty in Lebanon: A Call for Action

As the country of Lebanon sinks deeper into economic turmoil and healthcare devastation, period poverty has been recorded to reach its all-time high, whereby it was estimated that 66% of adolescent Lebanese girls cannot afford menstrual products to manage their menstrual cycle. The following descriptive paper aims to discuss the overall situation of period poverty in Lebanon, particularly during the economic crisis that hit the country and that coincided with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will then highlight nongovernmental organization initiatives and community-based partnerships that have been carried out with the goal of alleviating the significant physical, mental, and socioeconomic impact of period poverty on Lebanese girls and women. Finally, this paper will provide socioeconomic and policy recommendations to accomplish and sustain positive menstruation outcomes in Lebanon. This paper is necessary as it highlights the humanitarian impact of such an important women’s rights issue in Lebanon. It helps fill a gap in the literature because limited data are available on the status of period poverty in the country to raise awareness and take action. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Women's Reproductive Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)