The UB joins the initiative "Lavabos amics de la menstruació” (menstruation-friendly toilets).
News
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Institutional
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Sustainability
(08/04/2024)
The University of Barcelona is one of the seven Catalan universities participating in the “Lavabos amics de la menstruació” (menstruation-friendly toilets) initiative. The aim is to promote the presence of suitable spaces in universities so that all menstruating women and other menstruating people in the university community can carry out their menstrual habits comfortably and naturally. In addition to contributing to the normalisation of menstruation, the initiative also gives visibility to reusable menstrual products (menstrual cups, leak-proof panties, cloth pads), which are more sustainable options and less likely to contain toxins.
News
|
Institutional
|
Sustainability
08/04/2024
The University of Barcelona is one of the seven Catalan universities participating in the “Lavabos amics de la menstruació” (menstruation-friendly toilets) initiative. The aim is to promote the presence of suitable spaces in universities so that all menstruating women and other menstruating people in the university community can carry out their menstrual habits comfortably and naturally. In addition to contributing to the normalisation of menstruation, the initiative also gives visibility to reusable menstrual products (menstrual cups, leak-proof panties, cloth pads), which are more sustainable options and less likely to contain toxins.
Specifically, the UB has installed taps specifically designed for washing reusable menstrual products in the toilets of several faculties. In a survey carried out by the Faculty of Pharmacy's Equality Committee among 153 people (120 of whom were students), the degree of satisfaction with these toilets was rated at 4.22 out of 5. The plan is to extend the toilets to all UB faculties this year.
In addition, during the Innovation Day (iDay), organised by StartUB!, the Equality Unit presented the challenge of sustainable menstruation for menstruating people. In this challenge, of the three projects that were presented, the one by a team of five students from the master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering at the UB was chosen. The proposal in question is a foldable cup that allows menstrual cups to be cleaned in environments without access to a private toilet.
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the University of Lleida, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Rovira i Virgili University, the University of Girona and the University of Vic are also participating in this initiative. Currently, 550 toilets at these universities facilitate the use of menstrual products such as the menstrual cup, as announced on the occasion of Health Week. The menstruation-friendly toilets initiative is promoted by the Rezero Foundation, with funding from Beyond Plastic Med.
The importance of adapted and healthy management spaces menstrual
It has been a month since the Catalan government announced the free distribution of menstrual products in pharmacies. This is a pioneering measure at the international level to standardise the universal use of reusable menstrual products. This measure must be accompanied by a practice in their daily lives. When menstruating, for health reasons, it is important to change menstrual products from time to time. In the case of reusable items, moreover, the process may require washing.
According to the Report on equity and menstrual health in Spain (202-2022), carried out by the University Institute for Research in Primary Care Jordi Gol (IDIAP JGol), “handling this in public spaces is often problematic because of the lack of adapted and healthy spaces for menstrual management”. In fact, the report states that “75.2% of participants report having used menstrual products longer than recommended due to lack of access to adequate spaces for menstrual management”.
Map of menstruation-friendly toilets: https://www.rezero.cat/es/zero-discriminacio-menstrual-als-equipaments-publics-de-barcelona/
In addition, during the Innovation Day (iDay), organised by StartUB!, the Equality Unit presented the challenge of sustainable menstruation for menstruating people. In this challenge, of the three projects that were presented, the one by a team of five students from the master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering at the UB was chosen. The proposal in question is a foldable cup that allows menstrual cups to be cleaned in environments without access to a private toilet.
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the University of Lleida, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Rovira i Virgili University, the University of Girona and the University of Vic are also participating in this initiative. Currently, 550 toilets at these universities facilitate the use of menstrual products such as the menstrual cup, as announced on the occasion of Health Week. The menstruation-friendly toilets initiative is promoted by the Rezero Foundation, with funding from Beyond Plastic Med.
The importance of adapted and healthy management spaces menstrual
It has been a month since the Catalan government announced the free distribution of menstrual products in pharmacies. This is a pioneering measure at the international level to standardise the universal use of reusable menstrual products. This measure must be accompanied by a practice in their daily lives. When menstruating, for health reasons, it is important to change menstrual products from time to time. In the case of reusable items, moreover, the process may require washing.
According to the Report on equity and menstrual health in Spain (202-2022), carried out by the University Institute for Research in Primary Care Jordi Gol (IDIAP JGol), “handling this in public spaces is often problematic because of the lack of adapted and healthy spaces for menstrual management”. In fact, the report states that “75.2% of participants report having used menstrual products longer than recommended due to lack of access to adequate spaces for menstrual management”.
Map of menstruation-friendly toilets: https://www.rezero.cat/es/zero-discriminacio-menstrual-als-equipaments-publics-de-barcelona/