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Blog
May 21, 2020

Fatima is a member of Plan International USA’s Youth Advisory Board.

Imagine this. You’re a 13-year-old girl from Nepal, and you just got your period. Not only are you forced to skip school today, but you’re also sent to a “menstrual hut” because you’re believed to be impure. You find yourself all alone in the forest, completely exposed to mosquitoes, animals, insects and men. It’s an unsanitary place where the day’s humidity consumes you, and the night’s rain makes you shiver. No bathroom. No shelter. No safety. The number of diseases and infections that you could acquire are endless, and your mental health is being tested more and more as each day passes.

This is a reality that many girls in Nepal have to endure every month. This “tradition” was made illegal in 2017, yet it is continually practiced due to the culture of taboo surrounding menstruation. Not just in Nepal, but around the world, girls and women are treated with shame when they menstruate. But the stigma needs to end.

Stigma around menstruation affects all aspects of a girl’s life: health, education, work and dignity.

Health

In low-income countries and communities, girls and women don’t have access to feminine products, toilets, bathrooms, clean water or even private spaces to take care of their hygiene. Mental health is also a huge concern because of the shame that girls endure from their families, friends, teachers and community leaders. And that shame stems from the stigma around menstruation that is embedded in their cultures.

Education

Girls often have to stay home from school because they don’t have the resources to safely manage their periods and feel comfortable going to class. This directly affects girls’ academic development. Not only does skipping school make a girl fall behind in her education, but also creates high stress and anxiety.

Work

Similar to girls missing school, young women often can’t to go to work while menstruating if they don’t have menstrual products or are forced to isolate. This creates an even greater barrier preventing women from succeeding in their careers. And looking at the bigger picture, this impedes women from achieving high leadership positions, and therefore, having the authority in society to make positive changes surrounding gender equality.

Dignity

If girls don’t have the resources and support needed when they get their periods, they can’t live with dignity. The lack of sanitation, the shame, the seclusion and the stigma that girls have to experience during menstruation robs them of their livelihoods. And if girls can’t live equally, they can’t take full advantage of their potential.

In the past decade, we’ve seen issues around period poverty emerge more and more in conversation. And as the media amplifies that awareness, the need for accessible menstrual health management is becoming harder to ignore. Popularly advertised among period product companies has been the “buy one, give one” business model — Lunapads started a One4Her campaign, donating pads to low-income communities, and Conscious Period, an organic brand, also follows the same model.

Giving away free menstrual supplies helps, but it is not a sustainable solution for girls. It is simply not enough to create lasting change.

So what can be done?

Schools, health facilities, governments and media channels that influence cultural norms need to work to permanently end period stigma.

Schools and health facilities: Schools around the world should implement a universal health curriculum that includes menstrual and reproductive health, teaching young people of all genders how bodies function and what is needed to manage menstruation. Health facilities everywhere must also be transparent with girls and young women about their health, letting them know that they don’t need to be ashamed of what’s normal.

After-school activities and government: After-school clubs also play a big role in allowing young girls to feel empowered to lead their classmates in discussions and activities. Creating safe spaces for girls and young women to express their concerns, experiences and questions should be prioritized by governments. This will normalize the period conversation, while slowly chipping away at the stigma.

Media: Gen Z and Millennials around the world are the main consumers of media. So, it’s important to take full advantage of radio, television, magazines and newspapers so that young people can have the knowledge to create change for the future. This could include creating a radio talk show where women and girls can have “unplugged conversations” about menstruation and health.

But there’s a catch here. People in power tend to impose their ways, without considering cultures outside of their own. This is why it’s crucial to work with the young women and girls and have them be the leaders of change. We women and girls must be the driving force of this movement to normalize menstruation, and our personal experiences and perspectives should be at the center of all solutions.

To directly help girls and make an immediate impact, make a donation to Plan.

Report & Resource
May 1, 2020

Youth advocacy toolkit

UNESCO: Keeping girls in the picture: Youth advocacy toolkit

News & press
February 20, 2020

Plan International USA among top 100 proposals for MacArthur $100 million grant

Washington, DC — Plan International USA (Plan) today announced the organization is among the highest-scoring 100 proposals for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition. Nearly 4,000 organization entered for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world’s most critical social challenges.

For people to count, they must first be counted. Plan and its partners, Vital Strategies, Jembi Health Systems, Simprints, and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, entered the competition with a bold solution for the world’s identity crisis. A quality civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system records major life events like births, deaths, and marriages and is critical to a country delivering services, raising revenues, and progressing on more than half of the Sustainable Development Goals. The consortium proposes to take a holistic CRVS systems-strengthening model that is adapted for local needs. The OpenCRVS software platform will enable collaboration with governments to register every birth and death, and ensure that every individual on the planet is recognized, protected and provided for from birth.

“Five hundred million children have no official identification,” says Dr. Tessie San Martin, President and CEO of Plan International USA. “Birth registration is one of the basic rights of a child. It is the foundation for protection and well-being and ensuring that every child can learn, lead, decide, and thrive. This project can have a transformational impact on millions of children and prove a scalable model for universal registration globally. This bold solution requires bold investment.”

The Top 100 represent the top 21 percent of competition submissions. The proposals were rigorously vetted, undergoing MacArthur’s initial administrative review, a Peer-to-Peer review, an evaluation by an external panel of judges, and a technical review by specialists whose expertise was matched to the project.

Each proposal was evaluated using four criteria: impactful, evidence-based, feasible, and durable. MacArthur’s Board of Directors will select up to 10 finalists from these high-scoring proposals this spring.

“MacArthur seeks to generate increased recognition, exposure, and support for the high-impact ideas designated as the Top 100,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change and MacArthur Managing Director, 100&Change. “Based on our experience in the first round of 100&Change, we know the competition will produce multiple compelling and fundable ideas. We are committed to matching philanthropists with powerful solutions and problem solvers to accelerate social change.”

Bold Solutions Network Launches

The Bold Solutions Network launched today, featuring Plan as one of the Top 100 from 100&Change. The searchable online collection of submissions contains a project overview, 90-second video, and two-page factsheet for each proposal. Visitors can sort by subject, location, Sustainable Development Goal, or beneficiary population to view proposals based on area of interest.

The Bold Solutions Network will showcase the highest-rated proposals that emerge from the competitions Lever for Change manages. Proposals in the Bold Solutions Network undergo extensive evaluation and due diligence to ensure each solution promises real and measurable progress to accelerate social change.

The Bold Solutions Network was designed to provide an innovative approach to identifying the most effective, enduring solutions aligned with donors’ philanthropic goals and to help top applicants gain visibility and funding from a wide array of funders. Organizations that are part of the network will have continued access to a variety of technical support and learning opportunities focused on strengthening their proposals and increasing the impact of their work.

About Plan International USA
Plan International USA is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan believes in the power and potential of young people. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

For more information, please visit PlanUSA.org.

More About 100&Change

100&Change is a distinctive competition that is open to organizations and collaborations working in any field, anywhere in the world. Proposals must identify a problem and offer a solution that promises significant and durable change.

The second round of the competition had a promising start: 3,690 competition registrants submitted 755 proposals. Of those, 475 passed an initial administrative review. 100&Change was designed to be fair, open, and transparent. The identity of the judges and the methodology used to assess initial proposals are public. Applicants received comments and feedback from the peers, judges, and technical reviewers. Key issues in the competition are discussed in a blog on MacArthur’s website.

Statements
July 10, 2019

Plan International USA statement on Mexico City Policy study

Plan International remains concerned about the negative impact the Mexico City Policy (MCP) has on the lives of millions of vulnerable girls and women across the world. According to a new Stanford University study, there is “a substantial increase in abortions among women affected by the U.S. Mexico City Policy.” This study confirms that the policy actually produces the opposite effect of its stated goal of reducing abortion rates. In addition, it causes vulnerable girls and women to suffer as a result of vital sexual and reproductive health services being withdrawn.

The 2019 study compares contraception use, pregnancies and abortion rates in 26 sub-Saharan African countries during the reinstatement and subsequent repeal of the policy (also known as the Global Gag Rule) across three Presidential Administrations. Similar to a June 2018 report from the Center for Health and Gender Equity, the Stanford study published in The Lancet finds that when the policy is in place, there is “a rise of approximately 40% in relation to the average abortion rate,” versus when the policy is not in effect. This enormous increase in abortion rates is also mirrored by a decline in the use of contraception and an increase in unwanted pregnancies.

A February 2018 six-month review of the policy released by the State Department suggested conducting a further review of the policy by December 2018, “when more extensive experience will enable a more thorough examination of the benefits and challenges.” As of yet, no additional reviews have been released. If this Administration is committed to examining the effects of this policy, the Stanford University study should greatly inform their next review.

Quality sexual and reproductive health care services and information can transform the lives of girls and women, as well as their communities. The wider benefits of these services are helping pull millions out of poverty. Lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care services and information has broad implications that go beyond health, and is likely to impact girls’ and young women’s educational opportunities and career prospects.

Plan’s experience shows that comprehensive sexuality education and access to quality contraceptive services can significantly improve girls’ and women’s lives. It is imperative that the Mexico City Policy be repealed to ensure girls and women around the world are provided with adequate sexual and reproductive health services, in line with the evidence of its effectiveness. With this goal in mind, Plan supports the Global HER bill and the inclusion of the repeal of the policy in the House Appropriations Bill for FY2020.

Statements
April 9, 2019

Position statement on reproductive health services: Mexico City Policy puts girls’ health at risk

Updated March 15, 2022

AN UPDATE REGARDING PLAN INTERNATIONAL’S POSITION ON MEXICO CITY POLICY

Plan International is extremely disappointed by today’s Congressional action for failing to more permanently end U.S. government efforts to restrict access to reproductive health and rights around the world through the so-called Mexico City Policy (MCP[1]). While the MCP was repealed last year by President Biden through Executive Order, today’s legislation should have meant means that MCP can no longer be reinstated by a future president acting alone.

The negative impact the MCP has inflicted on the lives of millions of vulnerable girls and women across the world since the Reagan Administration is well documented. In fact, the State Department’s own study from August 2020 confirmed what global health organizations and advocates have known for years: the MCP disrupts access to health services. The report clearly outlines disruptions in care spanning global health programs, including for HIV/AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, tuberculosis and nutrition.

Furthermore a Stanford University study found the MCP does not even meet its own goals, stating that there is “a substantial increase in abortions among women affected by the U.S. Mexico City Policy.” In addition, it causes vulnerable girls and women to suffer as a result of vital sexual and reproductive health services being withdrawn.

Quality sexual and reproductive health care services and information can transform the lives of girls and women, as well as their communities. The wider benefits of these services are helping pull millions out of poverty. Lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care services and information has broad implications that go beyond health, often impacting girls’ and young women’s educational opportunities and career prospects.

Plan’s experience shows that comprehensive sexuality education and access to quality contraceptive services can significantly improve girls’ and women’s lives. With this goal in mind, for the last five years, Plan supported the prohibition of the MCP by law, thus preventing future presidents from reinstating it on their own through executive orders. Plan will continue to support these efforts through the budget process and the Global HER Act, which passed the House of Representatives last year.

[1] Also known as the Global Gag Rule

April 9, 2019

Plan International is concerned about the impact the January 2017 expansion of the Mexico City Policy and its recently announced strict enforcement will have on the lives of millions of vulnerable girls and women across the world. On March 26th, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration will withhold funding from foreign nongovernmental organizations that in turn fund foreign groups that perform abortions. Mr. Pompeo also said the government was “fully enforcing” a law that prohibits groups from using United States aid to lobby on abortion issues. Aggressive enforcement of the law would lead to a further reduction in services for women’s sexual and reproductive health.

Lack of access to sexual and reproductive health care services and information has broad implications that go beyond health, and is likely to impact girls’ and young women’s educational opportunities and career prospects.

Girls need education, information, and quality services

We recognize the importance of preventing unintended pregnancy through the provision of comprehensive sexuality education including accurate information on contraceptives as well as access to quality contraceptive services (including emergency contraception) for all girls and women.

Our experience shows that comprehensive sexuality education and access to quality contraceptive services can significantly improve girls’ and women’s life chances, including their survival and survival of their children.

Vulnerable girls need support

Unintended pregnancies are often a consequence of violations of girls’ and women’s fundamental rights. Millions of vulnerable girls and women will suffer if sexual and reproductive health services that provide vital support to them are withdrawn or cut back as a consequence of the Mexico City Policy.

Promoting health for all and achieving gender equality are at the heart of the Global Goals. Mexico City Policy could have unintended consequences when it comes to achieving targets related to reducing global maternal mortality rates and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services. Denying funding to vital health care provisions will also undermine investments to end extreme poverty and promote economic and social development.

Report & Resource
September 10, 2018

Executive Summary: The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents

These survey highlights indicate we still have a long way to go in the U.S. to achieve gender equality.

In the past few years, gender equality has resurfaced as a major issue in the U.S. public sphere. The 2016 presidential election fueled a massive Women’s March, one of the largest protests in U.S. history, in January
2017. An anniversary Women’s March took place across the country in January 2018. The #MeToo movement erupted in 2017 and continues through today. Discussions ranging from parental leave to the gender pay gap and sexual harassment in the workplace have made front-page headlines and sparked national debates—but the voices of adolescent girls and boys on these issues have not often been heard.

In an effort to understand how children and youths’ views on gender equality are influenced and to provide a starting point to ensuring girls everywhere are valued and provided equal opportunities, Plan International USA commissioned PerryUndem to conduct an extensive public opinion study of U.S. adolescents, ages 10 to 19, on issues and experiences related to gender equality. The goal of the research is to provide a resource for policymakers, media, and others who want to understand how children are internalizing inequality and how their views may take shape.

Report & Resource
August 13, 2018

Adolescent girls in crisis: Voices from South Sudan

This report explores how adolescent girls are impacted by the crisis in South Sudan, amplifies their voices and perceptions of the crisis, and presents their views on how the humanitarian sector might respond.

Amplifying the voices of adolescent girls in South Sudan and presenting their opinions on how the humanitarian sector should respond to the crisis.

Now half a decade long, the conflict in South Sudan has displaced four million people and placed seven million in need of humanitarian assistance. While all civilians face multiple forms of insecurity, adolescent girls are affected by this protracted crisis in ways that are different both from adolescent boys and from adult women, and in ways that are often overlooked.

Voices from South Sudan explores how adolescent girls within two age brackets (aged 10-14 and 15-19) understand the unique impact the crisis has upon them. It seeks to amplify their voices and perceptions of the crisis, and presents their views on how the humanitarian sector might respond.

Report & Resource
October 3, 2016

The state of the World’s Girls 2016

‘Counting the Invisible’ explores the current state of gender data and exposes the gaps.

Counting the Invisible

Millions of girls are ‘invisible’ to governments and policy makers because vital data is not being recorded about their lives.

‘Counting the Invisible’ explores the current state of gender data and exposes the gaps: we don’t count how many girls leave school because of early marriage, pregnancy or violence, exactly how many give birth before they turn 15, how many hours a day they spend working, what kind of work they do and whether they get paid for it.

The new report from Plan International reveals how improving the information we have about girls will help create a just world and equality for all.