Under the law, local officials and education providers are legally required to provide free period products to anyone who needs them
Representational image. Pixabay
Scotland has made menstrual products such as sanitary napkins and tampons free of cost for anyone who needs them.
The Period Products (Free Provision) Act, was passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament in November 2020. The legislation has made it a legal right to have free access to all period products.
Let’s take a closer look at what the law says and why it’s needed:
What does the law say?
Under the law, local officials and education providers are legally required to provide free period products to anyone who needs them.
The first of its kind law was introduced first by Scottish Labour lawmaker Monica Lennon in April 2019.
Lennon has been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016.
Free period products such as tampons and sanitary napkins will be made available in schools and universities across Scotland.
Apart from free-of-cost products, in order to implement a successful anti-stigma campaign in Scotland, the government says it will ensure that enough funds are put into educational websites and better menstrual health resources are available in schools.
According to a report by Indian Express, those who are in need of period products can find the nearest collection point in the PickupMyPeriod mobile app.
The app was launched by a social enterprise called Hey Girls.
The law is one of the many programs that has been developed to tackle period poverty in Scotland. Earlier in 2018, the government made sanitary products free for school and university students through a $6.3 million investment.
In 2019, it invested another $4.85 million to make free products available in libraries and recreational centres.
What is period poverty?
Period poverty occurs when women and girls find it difficult to afford menstrual products due to economic vulnerability, lack of awareness or poor hygiene standards.
Period poverty is mainly a product of taboos, stigmas and stereotypes around menstruation.
In India, for example, a lot of rural women are still dependent on unsafe materials like rags, hay and sand as an alternative to safer but expensive menstrual products, according to a report by Feminism in India.
As per United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in addition to affecting women in developing countries, period poverty also affects women in wealthy, industrialised -countries. Not being able to afford menstrual products can force girls and women to stay at home from school and work.
A study mentioned in a UNFPA report suggests that schoolgirls in Kenya have engaged in sex work to afford menstrual products.
How will the bill help?
The Period Product Act that will provide free products in Scotland says that the person who seeks menstrual products would not be required to justify why they need them or how much is needed.
Unless for postal deliveries, no information should be required from those who want to access the products.
Through the Act, it is hoped that everyone gets equal access to menstrual products which will, in turn, normalise the topic of menstruation in the community.
Which other countries offer free period products?
In 2021, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Arden announced that menstrual products will be available for free in all schools. The move was introduced to tackle the issue of low attendance in schools.
In the Australian cities of New South Wales and Victoria, the government started providing free pads and tampons in all public schools in 2018 in an effort to break down the stigma around periods.
New York City became the first place in US to pass a legislation to make period products free in public schools in 2016.
By 2021, Virginia, Washington and Illinois followed suit. Washington governor Jay Inslee has signed a bill to make menstrual products free for all genders, according to a report by Global Citizen.
After becoming the first country to remove the tampon tax, Kenya started distributing free sanitary pads to young girls in public schools in 2018.
With inputs from agencies
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