Women displaced by attacks by Israeli forces in Lebanon are being forced to use scraps of cloth and plastic bags in place of period products, an ActionAid partner has said.
Women and girls seeking refuge in shelters are trying to manage their periods with little privacy or access to pads, toilets and clean water, and have resorted to tying black bags around their waists as a way of coping, said The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering, known as RDFL.
More than 608,000 people are currently displaced by conflict in Lebanon, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – more than half of them women and girls. Around 170,000 people are currently seeking refuge in shelters, while more than 12,000 people are living in unfinished buildings, tents, parks or on the streets.
Many of those who are displaced have little access to food or clean water. But for women, the conflict has brought additional difficulties.
“The conditions [in the shelters] are very hard and inhumane,” said Roula Zeaiter, Program Manager at RDFL. “People have been given mattresses and blankets, but there are basic needs left unnoticed, particularly women’s needs. Women on their period are wrapping black bags around their waist.”
In the Bekaa region, where RDFL is supporting women in shelters, the cost of sanitary pads has risen as market sellers put up prices in response to the crisis. For displaced families, already pushed to brink by years of economic crisis, period products are a luxury they cannot afford.
Many of the schools where people are sheltering do not have designated shower areas, so women struggling to manage their periods also have no way of bathing. Some NGOs have installed makeshift shower units, but they are far from sufficient for the crowds of people.
“Even in the best scenarios, the ratio is one shower for every 100 people, making it really difficult to maintain personal cleanliness, especially for women during their periods,” Roula Zeaiter said.
ActionAid’s partners are providing women and girls in shelters with hygiene kits, which include period products and toiletries. But funds for the kits are limited, and as the attacks continue, the number of displaced continues to grow.
“The chaos of the past few weeks has sent shock and panic through the whole of Lebanon. Many women and girls have been forced to seek safety in crowded shelters, where the conditions make it almost impossible for them to manage their periods in a safe, hygienic way that preserves their dignity,” said Sabine Abiaad, ActionAid’s Regional Campaigns Coordinator based in Beirut.
"Imagine having to manage your period with no period products, toilet paper or soap, and no chance of being able to wash yourself. On the one hand, it’s yet another example of women finding ways to cope in unimaginable conditions. On the other, its reminder that conflict strips women of everything – even their dignity,” she said.
ActionAid is calling on all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law and to immediately cease hostilities.
Support ActionAid’s Lebanon appeal here: https://actionaid.org.uk/donate/emergency/lebanon-appeal
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