An institution focused on girls' development is running a campaign to launch an emoji that symbolizes menstruation. Created by Plan International UK, the design of a smiling droplet of blood aims to reduce the taboo on the subject, a situation that creates problems in the area of ​​female health around the world.
The organization submitted the emoji to the Unicode Consortium and is awaiting a response. Before, Plan International had already entered another more explicit emoji, a panties with drops of blood, which was refused. It is worth remembering that, among the figures approved for the 12.0 package, which is expected to be released in 2019, there is already the figure of a drop of blood, whose description "blood donation, medicine, menstruation".
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Emoji with a drop of blood wants to facilitate conversations about menstruation Photo: Divulgao / Plan International UK
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The measure may seem unnecessary to some people, but the taboo around the issue is serious and affects the lives of women in different countries. According to data from Plan UK, 28% of girls in Uganda do not go to school when they are menstruating, and only 12% of young people and adults in India have access to hygiene products as absorbents. In addition, 90% of girls in rural areas of Ghana are ashamed during their menstrual period, which is experienced by 48% of girls aged 14 to 21 in the UK.
In a survey carried out by the organization, carried out with women aged 18 to 34, half declared that a menstruation emoji would help when talking about the topic with their friends and partners. These data only explain the stigma surrounding the subject. It is evident that the absence of a specific emoji is related to taboo, with at least 800 million teenagers and women menstruating.
Emojis that participated in the previous Plan International campaign Photo: Divulgao / Plan International UK
In the previous submission, Plan International UK, which worked in partnership with Plan Australia, created five drawings and asked its readers to choose which emoji would best represent menstruation. The winner (the figure in panties soiled with blood) competed with a tampon, a third, a menstrual calendar and drops of blood.
"The menstruation taboo is a huge problem for girls around the world. Girls are missing school and are facing bullying and unfair treatment," said Plan Australia CEO Susanne Legena in an interview with The Next Web.
Via Plan International and The Next Web
