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Tampon makers could help reduce violence against women

BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i3465 (Published 28 June 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i3465
  1. S D Shanti, associate professor of public health
  1. A T Still University of Health Sciences, 8535 East Still Circle, Mesa, AZ 85206, USA
  1. sshanti{at}atsu.edu

Preventive strategies and support for a billion victims globally are hugely underfunded

“Physical or sexual violence is a public health problem that affects more than one third of all women globally”—at least a billion—says a 2013 World Health Organization study, conducted with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council.1 Violence against women is a global health problem on a scale bigger than HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Consequences of such violence include physical injuries, psychological trauma, and 43 500 untimely deaths a year worldwide.2 The costs associated with violence against women include healthcare and legal expenses.3 Additionally, lost productivity related to such violence diminishes the world’s gross domestic product by 3.7%.4

Vaccines against violence

We need a public health approach focused on prevention to complement the existing legal and criminal justice responses to violence. WHO and collaborators have identified effective means of preventing intimate partner violence and sexual violence,5 the two most common forms of violence against women. These “vaccines against violence” encompass a range of interventions that aim to alter the behaviors of potential perpetrators and victims.

But funds are needed to distribute these interventions globally and to provide medical and legal services for women who have already been affected by violence. The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women supports projects that prevent such violence, improve service delivery, and strengthen institutional responses. In 2012, for instance, the fund received grant requests totaling $1.1bn (£750m; €970m) but awarded only $8.4m—less than 1% of demand and nowhere near enough to make a noticeable difference.6

This scenario reflects the widespread problem of insufficient funding for public health in general.7 And the stigma surrounding violence against women confers a disadvantage in the ever present competition for project funding, compounding the challenge of garnering support for large scale global responses.

A steady source of revenue

The cosmetic companies Avon and Mary Kay have funded services for violence prevention and support. Although use of cosmetics is optional, feminine hygiene products are essential for women’s wellbeing and quality of life. So, given the problem of extensive underfunding, tampon makers could donate some of their profits to help.

Women in every society buy tampons and sanitary towels (pads, napkins). These products generate billions of dollars in sales and are a steady source of revenue for corporations, in good times and bad. It’s only right that tampon manufacturers give something back to their customers—for example, by dedicating a fraction of a percentage of their revenues to support public health programs that prevent violence against women—as long as these costs aren’t simply passed on to consumers.

Global annual sales of feminine hygiene products are projected to total $15.2bn by 2017.8 Even 0.5% of those sales, if donated to the UN fund, could generate huge vital support for programs in desperate need of funding.

Corporate social responsibility

Any kind of business could support the prevention of violence against women and services for those already affected; some international corporations, such as Bose and TJX Companies, already do. However, with its huge markets of essential goods, the feminine hygiene products industry is uniquely positioned to engage in corporate social responsibility by investing in women’s health, reducing the harm and costs associated with violence.

Almost all women menstruate. Unfortunately, violence is another constant for many women. Few women talk about menstruation and menstrual products publicly. Likewise, few disclose their personal experiences of violence, and only a fraction of such incidents are ever discussed openly. Discussing these matters may be uncomfortable. But, given that one in three women around the world is affected by violence, urgent responses are needed—and tampon makers could help.

Consequences of such violence include physical injuries, psychological trauma, and 43 500 untimely deaths a year globally

References

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