UK father campaigns to legitimise period pain as a reason for absence in school

A father from Cornwall, UK, is campaigning to normalise period pain and to recognize that it is a legitimate reason for not being able to attend school. Marcus Alleyne (37), saw that his thirteen-year-old daughter Izzy was given an ‘unauthorised absence’ in school, even after she was suffering from period cramps. According to reports, when Marcus called his daughter’s senior secondary school and informed that she was not able to attend school because of period pain, the authorities replied that it would be registered as an unauthorised absence. Marcus was shocked on hearing this because if he had stated the reason as migraine or any other illness or disease, it would have been treated as a legitimate reason for being absent but period pain was not taken into account. Marcus said that he became aware of the problems and taboos around dysmenorrhea when he saw that his daughter suffered from extreme pain and was not able to sleep. He felt that his daughter needed rest in such a condition. But when he called the school to inform about her leave, he was taken aback by their response. Marcus then began a petition on Change.org which demands period pain to be a legitimate reason for being absent in school. The petition has garnered 35,000 signatures till now and the aim is to complete a total of 50,000 signatures. The petition on Change.org states that not allowing school leave for dysmenorrhea and counting the leave as unauthorised shows that schools do not take into account the medical conditions of women who are menstruating or suffering from dysmenorrhea. Marcus said that he gained immense support from people for this campaign primarily because they thought it was a father who was standing up to his daughter’s problems but he feels that this is not just a female problem but a general social problem.