Global Milestones, One Pad at a Time
On June 9th, 2022, the World Health Forum published an article entitled, “The unsanitary truth about period poverty - and what governments can do”.
While perusing this article, I found it quite interesting to view period poverty from a global perspective. This article outlined the reforms that different countries worldwide have set in place to tackle period poverty.
Spain: Women suffering severe period pain could potentially be allowed to take between three and five days a month. While this legislation does not tackle period poverty directly, it is a critical part of a wider set of reforms to reproductive health legislation. While this law is still under scrutiny, if passed, it will be the first of its kind in Europe.
Scotland: In 2020, the Scottish government became the first to offer free sanitary products to all women in all public arenas, such as community centers. This is discussed in detail in the blog from 9/25!
New Zealand: Since June of 2021, New Zealand’s government has instituted a statute for schools to have free access to sanitary products in an effort to end period poverty. This has enabled 3200 young students in 15 schools to have access to free period products to date.
France: Period poverty is a grave problem in France, impacting around 1.7 million women in France. Thus, the French government has invested 1 million Euros to disseminate free period products in schools in France.
Kenya: In Kenya, the pinnacle issues that persist in the women’s reproductive health sphere include unaffordable sanitary products, stigmatization, and poor sanitation. These problems are especially exacerbated among those in remote and low-income areas. In 2004, Kenya made history by becoming the first country in the world to eradicate the tax on imported menstrual products.
Botswana: In Botswana, a paramount problem that exists is that of girls missing out on crucial aspects of their education as they cannot afford sanitary products, hurting their academic pursuits and chances of financial success, as a result. Thus, Botswana instituted a reform to enable free period products to be offered in schools.
South Korea: In Seoul, South Korea, a program in 2018 was launched to offer free sanitary products for women in 10 public facilities.
Zambia: In Zambia, free sanitary products for girls in rural areas and around the outskirts of urban areas have been provided, helping 14, 000 girls across 16 schools to remain engaged in their education.
While period poverty exacerbates around the globe, major strides of progress have been taken, aiding girls to remain engaged in their daily lives –including crucial educational aspects that may facilitate success in their future endeavors.
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