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Nations Girl Up with the local Legislative Chamber

Updated: Apr 30, 2021

Students help create a law to ensure free distribution of personal hygiene products to women


What started as a discussion among students became a bill in the local legislature. It is now law in the Federal District. Our Nations Girl Up group helped district deputy, Arlete Sampaio, draft the law that calls for free distribution of sanitary napkins in Basic Health Units (UBS) for women who are at risk and in public schools in the Federal District.


According to the law, the government of the Federal District should guarantee basic care to people who menstruate. The government must provide female hygiene products such as sanitary napkins in Basic Health Units (UBS) for people in a situation of economic vulnerability and students in public schools in middle and high school.



Luísa Ribero, Co-President of Nations Girls Up says, “Period poverty is a global issue affecting women and girls who do not have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products, or who are unable to manage their periods with dignity. It is very common in school environments. Along with other Girl Up groups in Brazil, we realized that this agenda was closer to us than we thought. We see many girls skipping classes because they do not have access to sanitary napkins. Some even drop out of school because of it. Sadly, there is not enough data about this important topic in Brazil.”


The bill was written by representatives of local and national feminist groups—including Nations Girl Up—private organizations, and the district deputy, Arlete Sampaio.


A new school year for Nations Girl Up


The UN Foundation founded Girl Up in 2010 as an initiative to help support UN agencies that focus on adolescent girls. It is a global initiative that promotes female empowerment and participation in all areas of endeavor. Nations Girl Up is one of many other active groups of women and men that has joined the movement and is supporting the cause!


Since its creation in the 2018-19 school year, Nations Girl Up has had many achievements, including their most recent, the creation of this law. At the end of last school year, members of our Nations Girl Up also organized a fundraiser to buy feminine hygiene products for over three hundred families in Santa Luzia in the Cidade Estrutural. Together, they raised over two thousand reais!


Nations Girl Up has also promoted a series of events at School of the Nations, including round tables, workshops, and group discussions on various relevant topics.


Join Nations Girl Up


If you would like to join Nations Girl Up, you can find us on Instagram @nationsgirlup.

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