The New Zealand government announced it would foot the bill on sanitary products such as pads and tampons in an attempt to stamp out widespread 'period poverty' among girls in high schools. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Arden initiated this program for all girls from age nine to 18.
She emphasized the importance of sanitary supplies for the monthly period as a necessity rather than a luxury. Many girls in the country skip school because they were not able to afford to buy pads and tampons.
Additionally, there are also reports of girls being forced to use toilet paper, newspaper, and rags to manage their monthly period.
There will be 15 schools in Waikato identified as those most in need that will have access to free sanitary products starting term three this year. The government is planning to expand the program nationwide by 2021.
Female Hygiene Products Are a Necessity, Not a Luxury
PM Ardern said that many teenage girls were not able to readily buy pads and tampons due to socioeconomic difficulties, even though these products are classified as essential personal items, according to CNN.
"We know that nearly 95,000 nine to 18 year-olds may stay at home during their periods due to not being able to afford period products," Ardern explains. The way to solve this dilemma is by making sanitary pads and tampons readily available products to these young people so that their education will not be disrupted.
In an interview with SBS News, Julie Anne Genter, New Zealand's Minister for Women said that hygiene products are too expensive for many young girls. These products should be available to half of the population as menstruation is a fact of life; therefore, these products are a necessity and not a luxury, Genter added.
Moreover, nearly 95,000 girls in New Zealand aged nine to 18 are thought to stay home from school during their periods for not being able to afford feminine sanitary products, said Prime Minister Ardern.
The New Zealand government is investing NZ$2.6 million or $1.7 million for this program. 'Period poverty' is most often seen as a problem in developing countries. Although some reports also said that it could impact even the wealthiest nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
Free Provision of Female Sanitary Products in Other Countries
New Zealand is not the first to think of this solution, as England announced last year that it would provide free sanitary products to high school students. Then on February, through the Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill came into the scene to ensure universal access to menstrual hygiene products.
Likewise, Body and Soul reported that Australia's state Victoria offers a similar program for school girls that started last September 2019, after the federal government overthrew the "tampon tax" in the same year.
This has become an issue as women's sanitary products were taxed under Australian GST Laws. But since sexual health products for men were not taxed, the "tampon tax" was then removed.
Check out more news and information on Period Poverty on Science Times.
