Pink Box at UW
The University of Warsaw joined the social campaign Pink Box.
It is an action consisting in placing boxes with sanitary napkins and tampons in women’s toilets. They serve as additional support for people who do not have personal hygiene products with them. Pink Boxes are designed to facilitate the functioning of students, doctoral students and employees at the university and to ensure their psychological comfort. They are also support for people with lower income, for whom the purchase of personal hygiene products is a significant expense.
The involvement of the University of Warsaw in this campaign is a signal to the academic community and not only that the university cares about the well-being and well-being of people who study and work here.
The aim of the campaign is to combat taboos and menstrual exclusion.
What is menstrual poverty?
This topic is still too rarely discussed. According to the most common definition, it concerns limited access to hygiene products for menstruating people. This problem may be permanent or temporary.
It applies to menstruating people who have found themselves in a difficult financial situation for various reasons, including:
- people from violent families/relationships;
- young people in conflict with their parents/guardians;
- people who have lost their jobs;
- divorced people, often raising children on their own.
Temporary or permanent financial problems result in difficult access to sanitary napkins/tampons. Hence, unfortunately, it is often necessary to make difficult choices: what to buy – hygiene products or food?
In Poland, nearly 500,000 people cannot afford sanitary towels or tampons.
In many faculties (list below), in the University Library, dormitories and student government buildings, Pink Boxes can already be found in bathrooms marked with a sticker.
Pink Boxes at the University of Warsaw are also on social media – we recommend the hashtags #zawszepodręką #dlamniedlaciebie #rozowaskrzyneczkaUW and #athand #4me4you #pinkboxUW
Pink Box is a social action – it is based on mutual support.
We encourage:
- to use when needed
- and share personal care products when possible by adding them to boxes.
Where can you find Pink Boxes?
Auditorium Maximum
Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialisation
Faculty of Biology
Faculty of Sociology
Faculty of Philosophy
Faculty of Physics
Faculty of Political Science and International Affairs
Faculty of Polish Studies
Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Mechanics
Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies
Faculty of Psychology
Faculty of Economic Sciences
Faculty of Journalism, Information and Book Studies
University of Warsaw Library
Buildings of the UW Student Council and student dormitories
Do you want to join the Pink Box campaign? Write to: rownouprawenie@uw.edu.pl
More about the Pink Box campaign