New Delhi: For the last four years, Amika George of Indian origin has been working in the UK to overcome the problems of girls of her age. The result of his efforts is that the British Government last year arranged for girls in educational institutions to provide free materials during the difficult days of the month and George was awarded the ‘British Empire Award’ this year.
More than that, he has achieved this award at the youngest. George, who studied history at the University of Cambridge, says that given India’s colonial history, it was not easy for her to receive the award, but then she decided to accept the award on behalf of her family and community. She says, “Actually it was very important for me to show how much power is in the voice of the youth, more than we think. We may be overlooked in political circles, but this award has shown that we are being seen as slow changers who can influence the government as well.” According to a release issued by the UK government, this year 1,129 people have been selected for the ‘British Empire Award’ to be given on the Queen’s birthday. Half of the awardees are women and 15 percent are ethnic minorities.
“This year’s list is the most ethnically diverse list ever,” the release said. George, who campaigned under the name ‘Free Period Campaign’, was decided to confer an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his remarkable contribution in the field of education. George tells that she read an article at the age of 17, from which she learned that there are many girls in Britain who have to take a break from school every month on the days of menstruation because they have no work to do during these difficult days. The essential goods were not available and they were unable to buy them. This information disturbed George and he made up his mind to do something in this direction.
In late 2017, more than 2000 people participated in a protest raising the issue in front of Downing Street. During this, 1,80,000 people signed a petition. Then this process went on and the next three years were spent in memorandums to the ministers of the government, protests, and making people aware of this issue. It was the result of these efforts of George that in the year 2020, the government ordered schools to provide funds to buy essential items for girls’ menstruation.
It may take some time for this campaign to gain momentum during Covid, but George is hopeful that things will get better. Dame Barbara Stocking, President of George’s College, who has won newspaper headlines and numerous awards worldwide for the past three years, said of George receiving this prestigious award, “We are very proud of Amika. Their efforts will ensure that no girl takes a break from school during her periods just because she does not have money to buy sanitary pads. Amika’s efforts are inspiring.”
