In order for taboos to be dismantled, conversations need to happen. Through conversation, education takes place and changes can be made to break down cultural stigmas. Nowhere is this perhaps more important than when it comes to female health.

Two-thirds of girls and young women aged 14 to 21 knew very little or nothing at all about periods before their own periods started, research from WaterAid revealed, while 34% of boys and young men admit they are very much in the dark on the subject.

To encourage more open conversation, the charity has teamed up with the author Jacqueline Wilson and actor Jodie Whittaker to create a new animated story, P.E.riod Excuses. The film, which has been illustrated by Nick Sharratt, is designed to get teachers, children and parents talking more openly about a subject that has long since been seen as taboo.

It focuses on three schoolgirls in the UK learning about how their periods are affecting them whilst also beginning to understand how periods are something that affect women in every country in the world. They are learning, alongside the audience, that periods are nothing to be ashamed of but are rather a natural part of life.

The campaign comes as the UK government introduces new guidance for children to now be taught about health, sex and relationships, including periods, by the time they finish primary school.

The author Jacqueline Wilson, explained: “I believe storytelling, whether that’s speaking, writing, film making, drawing, or anything else, is one of the best ways to address topics that might seem difficult to talk about.”

Taboos are damaging because they invoke shame. When one in seven of the young women and girls surveyed reveal they have been teased about their periods, and one in four people globally lack  access to clean toilets, films like this are essential educational tools when it comes to shifting the narrative around female health across the world.