The rules of exclusion.

One out of two young girls has already missed school because of her periods in France.

This is the alarming finding of the NGO Plan International France with OpinionWay in their study carried out on the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, this Saturday.

Periods have a major impact on the daily lives of adolescent girls and contribute to gender discrimination.

35% of girls say that she – or someone close to them – has already been teased or humiliated because of her period.

Half of the girls surveyed believe that people still consider periods to be “dirty”.

Helping teenage boys and girls to break down stereotypes therefore remains essential in the fight against gender discrimination.

Plan International France has therefore launched the “Let’s change the rules” project.

The goal?

Fighting misinformation around menstruation.

With 20 young volunteers grouped together in the Youth Plan, fun and constructive workshops are offered in certain high schools in Île-de-France.

Social networks as an information weapon

According to the NGO's study, 50% of girls are still ashamed to have their period.

And the sex education courses given in college and high school do not seem, on their own, to allow teenage girls to feel ordinary in the face of this natural phenomenon.

“In schools, there needs to be more awareness and information given to girls and boys,” says Juliette Bénet, spokesperson for Plan International France.

With all possible means.

“It is essential to use as many platforms, as many tools as possible, to reach as many young people as possible on these issues”, explains

Juliette Bénet to

20 Minutes .

Plan International therefore takes over social networks and sets up mixed and non-mixed discussion groups moderated by NGO professionals.

Young people can then discuss the rules and reassure themselves about their “normality”.

Our menstruation file

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Like Plan International, accounts that talk explicitly about menstruation are on the rise on Instagram.

The Coup de sang Instagram account, for example, was created in 2018 by Clara Déplantes, a student at the time.

"In the comments, there is a sharing of experiences, we feel less alone," she explained to AFP.

Teenage girls find themselves in these anonymous testimonials and more easily accept their periods and it works.

The account has met with unexpected success: nearly 100,000 people have subscribed to it.

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  • Company

  • Rules

  • Middle School

  • High school

  • Teenager

  • Discrimination

  • School absenteeism

  • 20 minute video