Women in abusive relationships face an endless array of obstacles when planning an escape. The first obstacle might seem simple, but it is often where many women find themselves stuck: how do you get information on escaping without risking your abuser finding that information? If an abuser does discover their partner is plotting an escape, violence will almost certainly escalate, and it will become extremely dangerous for the woman and any children involved. We needed to find a way to offer help to these women without putting them in danger.

Our solution? Put this lifesaving information in the one place a man would never look… a tampon.

We created a faux line of tampons called Freedom Tampons. Our specialized, resealable tampons were imprinted with all the information a woman needs to safely leave her abuser, including our crisis line number, signs of abuse, and a checklist of what to bring.

We strategically filled tampon dispensers with Freedom Tampons to reach abused women in women’s washrooms. We also sent full boxes directly to nurses, counsellors, and police – people who have contact with women in abusive relationships, even in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Their need was evident as the demand for the Freedom Tampons quietly swelled. When lockdowns tightened across Canada, we also sent these tampons to women’s homes disguised as samples.