homelessness

But charity organisation Share the Dignity is hoping to help women who cannot afford sanitary products by installing vending machines in cities around Australia that dispense free tampons and pads to those in need.

Machines have recently been installed in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin, and one will be installed in Perth in the coming weeks.

The vending machines contain sanitary packs that each include two pads and six tampons, and work on a timed system to prevent wastage. One pack is available from the machine every 10 minutes.

Governments have been called on to recognize homelessness as a human rights crisis and commit to its eradication by 2030, in line with the new UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Presenting her report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha said that homelessness is found throughout the world, in all countries regardless of the level of development of their economic and governance systems.