Cape Town - Tackling the cost and access to tampons and sanitary towels would go a long way in combating gender inequality, simultaneously improving female pupils' chances for academic success, activist organisation Equal Education (EE) said on Wednesday.
“If we, as a society, can provide condoms for everyone, everywhere, then it is unconscionable not to do the same for pads and tampons,” said EE senior researcher Samuel Shapiro.
“We choose to have sex. Women do not choose to have their periods and should not be discriminated against for having them.” Shapiro, in a piece for the Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute (ASRI), called on government and the business sector to empower females through feminine hygiene in schools. “The issues of feminine hygiene impacting, as they do on the rights of girls to education, should be taken seriously by everyone,” said Shapiro.
It is estimated that one-third of female pupils miss school when menstruating due to the high cost of sanitary pads and tampons, which are considered luxury items and are therefore taxed. “Most use rags, toilet paper, newspapers, leaves, “recycled” tampons, pads and disposable nappies,” said Shapiro. “This raises major concerns around health, productivity, dignity and the ability to function as an active and respected member of society.” Many girls feel alone and scared during this time, he said. “Proper knowledge of what menstruation is and how to properly navigate the bleeding, pain, and hormones is an extremely important part of any women's education and should not be taken for granted.”
Shapiro said that while most of the work in the area was carried out by non-profits, both business and government had attempted to introduce relief initiatives. In 2011, President Jacob Zuma announced the broadening of the scope of reproductive health rights and services to include “sanitary towels for the indigent”.
In 2015, Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi promised the delivery of thousands of so-called dignity packs to eligible Gauteng schools. “According to the 2015 end of year expenditure estimates, more than 250 000 dignity packs have been handed out,” said Shapiro.
However, according to him, this did not provide a viable solution, partly because of the limited number of packs donated to each school and the contents of the packs. While many surveyed girls said they skipped school during menstruation because of “headaches, menstrual cramps and nausea”, Shapiro noted that items in the dignity packs did not account for this. Instead, along with the sanitary pads, girls received soap, deodourant, toothpaste, and tissues.
Shapiro said that in order for these types of campaigns to work, the private and public sector needed to shift their priorities from political rhetoric and public relations to policy. In addition to policy, a focus on menstrual education at an earlier stage of the curriculum was needed, as well as improved infrastructure such as quality ablution facilities. “These products are not a luxury item, they are an essential part of every women's lives and every women's dignity,” said Shapiro.
“Providing access to these products for all women and girls is simply non-negotiable.”
ANA