Period poverty and human trafficking should be tackled together because they are linked by the same root problems: poverty, inequality, school absence, and girls being forced into unsafe survival choices. Period poverty affects hundreds of millions of menstruating people worldwide, with one source citing roughly 500 million unable to access adequate menstrual health support, and Human trafficking remains the fastest growing crime in the world today, with girls making up the large majority of sex-trafficking victims.

The practical message is simple: if girls cannot afford pads they are more likely to miss school, lose income, and become vulnerable to coercion or “survival exchange” exploitation. Programs such as The Dignity Project which provides free re-usable menstrual products, school-based health education, and training on the tactics of traffickers reduce the pressure points traffickers exploit.

We have reached over 55,000 lives so far but want to reach 60,000 by the end of 2026.