Periods are a biological predisposition to give birth to a female and menstruate more than 2,500 days, or roughly 7 years, of the average woman’s life, but many women and girls around the world you can’t afford contemporary products. On Tuesday, Scotland became the first country to legally address this issue by making menstrual products free in public places across the country.
The Scottish Parliament In a tweet on Tuesday, he confirmed that the bill was adopted unanimously. According to the parliament’s website, the law requires the Scottish Government to set up a universal system so that anyone who needs contemporary products can get them for free. Schools, colleges and universities must also provide free menstrual products in restrooms. Local authorities and education providers will be responsible for ensuring that free products are made available legally.
Roughly 1.57 million menstruating people live in Scotland, according to the bill’s related financial memorandum. Based on this figure, the new law is estimated to cost the Scottish Government around £ 8.7 million in 2022/23, although the actual cost will depend on how many people use the products made available.
The bill was introduced in April 2019 by Monica Lennon, a Member of the Scottish Parliament. After the bill was passed Tuesday, he tweeted that “it’s bloody weather.”
In a 2017 paper on leisure products, Lennon explained the hard reality period poverty In Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. She said rising levels of poverty in Scotland are forcing women to choose between food or menstrual products.
“Even though a package of sanitary pads can be found in most supermarkets for a few pounds, and it doesn’t seem like a huge expense – if you have no or very little income, it can be insurmountable,” he wrote.
According to the Scottish Government’s website, roughly 220,000 girls and women between the ages of 12 and 54 have lived in relative poverty after the cost of housing since 2018.
Lack of proper menstrual products can have a negative impact on personal health. Prolonged use of the tampon can result in toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which can be fatal. Those with additional health problems may need more periodic products than the monthly average, which means a higher cost burden. It can also lead to anxiety, as many women and girls feel ashamed or confused about menstruation and ask for products uncomfortably, even if they can’t afford it.
In 2017, Global Child Charity Plan International released statistics showing that the shortage of menstrual products was a widespread problem in the UK for women and girls, mainly due to cost.
According to the organization, 10% of girls in the UK cannot afford health products such as pads and tampons, and 15% of girls in the UK struggle to pay for them. A further 19% of girls in the four nations – Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland – had to use less suitable products due to cost. In the UK, barely 50% of girls report missing school due to their period.
Britain’s central government has taken steps this year to tackle seasonal poverty as well. It was announced in March that from January 2021, the current 5% sales tax on health products, which has long been called a “tampon tax”, will no longer apply, according to the BBC.
