Women's limited access to sanitary items in countries such as India, Africa, and Bangladesh is well documented. However, "Period Poverty" is also an issue in Australia, and charities, government initiatives, and businesses are acknowledging and taking action on this issue.
In Australia, women escaping domestic violence situations, women in remote Indigenous communities, and women from low-income backgrounds, struggle to access sanitary products – often having to choose between feeding themselves, and their children, and their own dignity.
Throughout 2018, Carroll & O'Dea have run two dignity drives in support of the charity Share the Dignity, which is an Australian women's charity bringing dignity to homeless, at-risk and women experiencing domestic violence, through distribution of sanitary items:
- In April staff collected two suitcases worth of sanitary products
- In December staff participated in the #Itsinthebag initiative by putting together handbags filled with essential items for women in crisis.
In line with our ethos of social justice, Carroll & O'Dea are proud to support a charity dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged women.