For too many young girls, the products that mark "becoming a woman" are luxuries. And for young women all over the world, getting your period means new costs, days away from school and risking daily infections.
This because several governments do not acknowledge women's hygiene as a health problem. Fortunately, Scotland has become the first nation to introduce a bill that provides free and universal access to menstrual products, including tampons and pads, in public facilities.
This is a ground-breaking achievement for the global movement against period poverty that women around the world have been fighting against for years.
On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Period Products bill, months after the lawmakers had initially signalled their support.
What Does This Mean?
This ensures that period products will be accessible in public facilities, including schools and universities throughout Scotland. Under the new rules, it will be up to local authorities and education providers to ensure that the items are made available free of charge.
Monica Lennon, the lawmaker who introduced the bill in 2019 before voting said that the campaign was backed by a wide coalition, including trades unions, women's organisations and charities.
"Scotland will not be the last country to make period poverty history."
After the vote, Lennon said that this decision was a warning to the world that free universal access to period products could be achieved.
The Total Expenditure For This New Venture
The accompanying financial memoranda bill predicts that it will cost about £8.7 million a year by 2022, based on the number of women taking advantage of the free goods.
In a document supporting the law, Lennon argued that it was fair to expect 20% of the scheme to be enforced, considering the fact that official discrimination figures indicate that almost 20% of women in Scotland live in relative poverty.
The Need To Break The Stigma Surrounding Periods
We need to step past the stigma that surrounds that time of the month – women's hygiene products should be free for all, all the time. Sanitary products are essential for the health, well-being and full participation of women and girls all over the world.
For example, both the United Nations and Human Rights Watch have related menstrual hygiene to human rights. Earlier this year, Jyoti Sanghera, head of the UN Office for Economic and Social Issues, called the stigma of menstrual hygiene a breach of a number of human rights, the most important of which is the right to human dignity.
In countries where sanitary products are inaccessible or unaffordable, menstruation can mean skipping school for girls (UNICEF reports that 10 per cent of African girls do not attend school during their periods) and increased dropout rates, missed work for women and recurrent vaginal infections due to menstrual health products.
One study found that 73% of female factory workers in Bangladesh skip an average of six days– and six days of pay – per month due to their periods. One in ten girls in the United Kingdom was unable to afford period items, according to a 2017 study by Plan International UK.
The survey also found that almost half of all girls aged 14 to 21 were embarrassed by their periods, while almost half had missed a full day of school because of them.
Some 10% of girls in Britain were unable to afford sanitary items, according to a survey conducted by Plan International for Children's Charity in 2017, with campaigners warning many of the miss classes as a result.
Many In Support Of New Law
A number of equality and women's rights organisations, as well as politicians from the parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, welcomed the new legislation.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister said that she was proud to vote for “this ground-breaking legislation”. She also said that this made Scotland the “first country in the world to provide free period products for all who need(ed) them.
An important policy for women and girls," on her official Twitter page after the vote. Scotland's change follows a series of recent efforts to resolve the country's period poverty.
In 2018, the government declared that students in schools, colleges and universities around the country will be able to purchase sanitary products free of charge through an investment of £5.2 million.
In 2019, another 4 million was allocated to make period items accessible free of charge in libraries and recreation centres. England also initiated an initiative last year to offer free sanitary products to schools, and New Zealand did the same in early 2020.
In the United Kingdom, sanitary products are taxed at 5%. British officials blamed this tax on the laws of the European Union (EU) that set tax rates for such products. British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said that he would remove the "tampon tax" in January 2021 now that they have left the EU.
Written by - Christeena George
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