Share The Dignity

At Infamous Swim we don’t just wanna talk the talk, we want to walk the walk. When we say that we are passionate about empowering and supporting women, we really do mean it. We are proud to be a partner of Share the Dignity, and continue to work with this important Australian charity in its mission to end period poverty and give all women the dignity of access to period products. Infamous Swim has always supported Share the Dignity and we are now also a corporate sponsor for Move4Dignity. Move4Dignity is a virtual exercise challenge to fundraise in support of vulnerable Australians with Share The Dignity.

On any given day 800 million women across the globe have their period! And a lot of those women don’t have access to period products, or even clean water. The rights of women and girls across the world are high on our agenda at Infamous Swim, so we are a proud partner with Share the Dignity, who do amazing and important work to provide women and girls access to period products to manage their period because these items are a basic human right, not a privilege! 

Share the Dignity works to make a real, on the ground difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or doing it tough. Share the Dignity distribute period products to those in need and work tirelessly to end period poverty here in Australia. When someone is doing it tough, the last thing on their mind should be dealing with their period. Share the Dignity collect thousands of period products each year through collection drives and campaigns and distribute them directly to charities across Australia. 

Share the Dignity also places Dignity Vending Machines in areas where those in need will have access to them. The Dignity Vending Machine is a vending machine that dispenses a free period pack which has six tampons and two pads in it. The machine is there to help those in need. Share the Dignity purchase and supply the specially made by Libra period packs in the vending machine or otherwise known as the #pinkbox. No one should ever have to choose between eating and taking control of their period and girls should not be opting to miss school rather than risk humiliation because they can’t afford pads and tampons. Share the Dignity is passionate about empowering people to live a life of dignity and safety. To ensure access to pads and tampons to the most vulnerable, Share the Dignity are continuing to install Dignity Vending Machines in public toilets, charities, homeless hubs, domestic violence refuges, community centres, hospitals, Aboriginal health services and low socioeconomic schools across Australia. Many remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities do not have access to clean water, working toilets, and cheap period products. Share the Dignity work with these communities to provide access to period products and are helping to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have the tools they need to make this happen. 

Share the Dignity founder Rochelle was the driving force behind abolishing the tampon tax. She led the campaign which saw the the end of the goods and services tax being added to period products. Share the Dignity is active and passionate about ending the stigma and shame that surrounds periods, we cannot end period poverty without education and removing the stigma and shame. Share the Dignity put the call out for people to help and they set up an online Federal Petition spearheading the #axethetaxperiod hashtag and used their community engagement voices nationally to lobby for equality through social media resulting in a petition with in excess of 104,000 signatures. The result was a change in the GST bill which saw the tampon tax abolished and the classification of tampons, pads, liners, cups, and sponges – which were currently listed as non-essential “luxury” items – to essential health products.

At Infamous Swim we’re passionate about supporting Share the Dignity, if you want to know more and find out what you can do to support visit www.sharethedignity.org.au