Teen Campaigner Urges Birmingham to Tackle Period Poverty Crisis
Jasmine Topley, a 17-year-old from Chesterfield, is no ordinary student. Since the age of 14, she has been campaigning tirelessly to combat period poverty across the United Kingdom. Now, she is setting her sights on Birmingham, aiming to bring her initiative to the UK's second-largest city.
Inspired by Scottish Success
Jasmine founded FreePeriods4AllUK after being inspired by the Scottish Government's motion, led by Monica Lennon MSP, to make period products free for everyone in Scotland. "I wanted to be the change, instead of waiting on the change," Jasmine explained. "So I set up a petition, and it's now got over 31,000 signatures. It was all really just to help women have accessibility to the necessities that everybody needs."
She added, "If Scotland can do it, why can't we?" This driving question has fueled her efforts to provide period packages and stock gyms and wellbeing hubs with essential products.
Expanding to Birmingham
Jasmine relies on donations to stock communal areas in her hometown, using any spare time between studying for exams to create donation boxes and keep local sites supplied. Backed by Monica Lennon and Labour MP for Chesterfield, Toby Perkins, she is now taking her campaign to Birmingham.
"I want to expand to Birmingham because it's a major city where the campaign can have even more impact," she said. "By targeting gyms, colleges, and busy public spaces like the Gym Group, Birmingham City University, and New Street, we can reach more people. If we all target them, then it's going to have a much bigger impact. My hope is to try and get them freely available to all women in the UK."
Shocking Statistics on Period Poverty
Through her research, Jasmine has uncovered alarming statistics about period poverty in the UK:
- Approximately two million girls across the UK are struggling with period poverty.
- Students affected lose an average of 10 study days per year.
- An estimated 2.1 million people in the UK workforce have avoided or missed work due to their periods.
- 1.68 million have had to prioritize food over period products.
- 1.34 million have had to prioritize gas or electricity bills.
- 672,000 have sacrificed products for themselves to afford them for dependents.
Political Aspirations and Petition Drive
Jasmine is also planning to speak with as many MPs as possible, hoping to gain backing from Birmingham's politicians. "The plan is to try and get some of Birmingham's MPs' backing. I'm trying to get as many Members of Parliaments' backing as I possibly can," she stated.
Looking ahead, Jasmine has her eyes set on a future in politics. She is actively working to grow her petition, which currently has 32,888 signatures. "I saw on the BirminghamLive page you guys have around 942,000 followers. If seven per cent of your followers sign my petition, we could reach 100,000 signatures—and that's enough to get it debated in parliament and push for the national change that we all need," she calculated.
Her campaign not only addresses immediate needs but also advocates for systemic change, aiming to ensure that period products are accessible to all women across the UK.
