petition
Father demands: Schoolgirls should be allowed to be absent because of menstrual pain
The period can be very painful
© Christin Klose / Picture Alliance
Missed class because of period pain? This is not considered a “legitimate reason” in UK schools. A father wants to change that with a petition to the Ministry of Health.
Period pain is a problem for many girls and women. Some companies have therefore introduced menstrual leave for their employees. However, some schools do not seem to be aware of this yet.
In any case, Marcus Alleyne had to experience this. When he tried to call his 13-year-old daughter in sick for a day because of period pain, the school secretariat told him that this was “not a legitimate reason” for missing class. “It was so bad that we as parents had the feeling that it was not right to send them to school,” said the Briton Sky News. Nevertheless, the school did not allow itself to be softened.
Petition already has more than 60,000 signatures
Alleyne sees a bigger problem behind this: “Society tells our young menstruating people: You have to swallow it and deal with it. Up to a certain point that’s true. But we’re not talking about normal pain here, we are talking about feeling in pain stoops and can’t go to school. ”
The British thinks this is unacceptable – and has therefore started a petition. In it, he calls on the Ministry of Education to classify period pain – scientifically called dysmenorrhea – as a valid reason for the absence in class. “It can’t just be a women’s problem, it’s a social problem. We are all part of society and if it affects one, it affects everyone,” the 37-year-old wrote in his petition. More than 60,000 people have now signed the petition online.
And what is the situation in Germany? There is no clear regulation in this country either. Each school can therefore decide for itself how to deal with the topic. This is discussed again and again in Germany – especially women’s rights activists: inside people demand a more natural approach to periods and practical measures such as period products in school toilets.
Sources: Sky News / Petition on change.org