FREE PERIOD PRODUCTS: SCOTLAND'S POLICY

 The onset of menstruation compels millions of adolescent girls around the world to face a miserable cycle of pain, discomfort, shame, anxiety, and isolation. In many developing and under-developing countries, access to sanitary products such as pads, tampons, or cups are limited, and girls often resort to using proxy materials such as mud, leaves, or animal skins to try to absorb the menstrual flow. Appropriate and hygienic infrastructure— waste disposal mechanisms, soap and water for washing, and safe, private, and accessible toilets—is rarely available or sustainable. This unavailability of necessities not just affects girls and women physically but also mentally. Some stop going to school during periods and some stop going to their working places. People who menstruate deserve period dignity because menstruation is natural and products related to menstruation should be treated as a necessity.

Scotland's step towards normalizing period

In November 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to make female hygiene sanitary products free. The Scottish Parliament unanimously passed "The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act". The law requires local authorities to ensure period products such as tampons or sanitary towels be freely available in their area. Schools, universities, and other education institutions must also have free period products in the restrooms. 

The bill was introduced by Labour MSP Monica Lennon. She has been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016. She said it was a "practical and progressive" piece of legislation that became all the more crucial because of the coronavirus pandemic. She added further "Periods don't stop for pandemics and the work to improve access to essential tampons, pads and reusable has never been more important." "Periods should never be a barrier to education or to push anyone into poverty".

Women who are not able to access sanitary products become under confident and in several cases avoid going to school during this time, leaving a worse impact on their everyday life and their personality as well. Before this act, despite period products being available widely in the UK, 10% of girls have been unable to afford sanitary wear at some point. But that's not all. According to Plan International:

One in every seven girls has struggled to afford sanitary wear.

One in five girls has had to switch to less suitable sanitary wear due to high cost.

More than one in ten girls have had to improvise sanitary wear due to affordability. 

42% have resorted to using makeshift sanitary ware such as paper and socks.

30 per cent of girls aged 14-21 struggle to access sanitary products during the lockdown in the United Kingdom. 

One in ten girls aged 14–21 years in the UK can't regularly afford menstrual products, forcing them to stay away from school.

The bill aims at tackling the 'Period poverty' that implies the struggle one goes through to avail period products during menstruation. One of its central objectives is to "end the silence and stigma" that surrounds menstruation to remove "gendered barriers". The bill aims at ensuring that those who menstruate have "reasonably convenient" access to period products free of charge. Period poverty isn't just about affordability. Many women and girls don't have access to hygienic facilities or are unable to manage their periods with dignity – often due to stigma or superstitious and religious dogma around menstruation. This is the issue that the Scottish government tries to tackle with this new act. There are so many stigmas surrounding menstruation that help perpetuate this problem. Lack of education and conversation around periods can give rise to shame about this perfectly natural and healthy bodily function.

How will this work? The scheme proposed under this law will operate on an opt-in basis, which means that anyone can request access to period products, free of charge throughout Scotland, regardless of age, gender, or income. "By operating on such a basis, the bill will also ensure that those with no fixed address or homeless people will also have access to the period products they need," the bill states. Significantly, while the bill does not prescribe a specific number of products that a person may collect on each occasion, it does allow the government to prevent people from obtaining more products than they reasonably need.

Scotland has been working for a very long time for gender equality, women's rights, etc. Two years ago, Scotland also made history when it began providing free sanitary products to students at school, colleges, and universities through a government programme. Regarding this new act, Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "proud to vote for this ground-breaking legislation." 

Cabinet secretary for communities and local govt- Aileen Campbell detailed that menstruation products aren't a luxury they are necessities for women. For those who are poor, this will be difficult to access. When asked about how they prepared for the efficient regulation of this law, she stated that they planned to work with government-private collaboration and had invested 21 million pounds from 2017 for providing resources to partners of the government who will be helping them in making products. Money has been received by local authorities to ensure every school, college, university, workplace can have products available. They are estimating that the bill might cost 7.8 million pounds. Scotland's government has been working with social enterprises that ensure women can access those apps and navigate their location to identify where the products are available. Further, she added that Scotland is a country which is having gender equality at its heart and they are taking this as an initial step towards gender equality.

This policy is the need of the hour which is not going to work without people's participation. This requires the efficient functioning of the local authorities and centre-state relationships. 

Though Scotland is the first nation to make feminine hygiene freely available to all, a handful of countries have banned the "tampon tax" – the levying of VAT on sanitary products.

The measures taken by the Scotland government are intended to end period poverty and the circumstances of prohibitive expenses that have left many without access to sanitary products. For an upper-middle-class or rich person sanitary pads worth rupees 40-50 are not so expensive but for a poor family, it might cost much.

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Need for such policy in India

If we talk about India, most of the population lives in rural areas and is mostly poor. This makes it necessary for our country to introduce laws similar to what we have just discussed. If not making it freely available for all, at least making it freely available for those who cannot afford to buy it is necessary. Using clothes, newspaper, dry leaves lead to infection and death in many cases. Also, in India, there is a need to normalise menstruation. There are many taboos & stigmas related to the period according to which women during this time aren't allowed to enter kitchens, temples, to touch pickles, also they are forced to live in isolation. Already menstruating women are facing a lot of problems because of period cramps, mood swings, etc, and then such an unfriendly environment makes it more difficult for them to survive. Women's health should be prioritized over these stigmas. Poverty, homelessness, abusive relationships, and health conditions are among various circumstances that make menstruation a difficult experience for women and girls. Women's health and hygiene should be prioritized in the political agenda of every political party.

It's very surprising to know that 70% of Indian women do not have any access to sanitary napkins. BBC reported that during the lockdown, only 15% of girls were able to have access to sanitary products. 

The present government has taken a major step of slashing the price of its biodegradable sanitary napkins, 'Suvidha', and is sold in Jan Aushadhi Kendras from Rs.2.50 to Rs 1 per piece. Further, the Jan Aushadhi Sugam mobile app has also been launched, making it easier to locate Jan Aushadhi stores along with information and details related to medicines available at these stores.

A recent development in this field in India is the launch of OIL Shakti sanitary napkins project by Oil India Limited in Assam under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) i.e., whatever profit a corporate earn out of the business, some part of it should be invested in the cause of social welfare. At the core of this project lies women empowerment, equity, and rights this scheme will increase the livelihood opportunities as well as health management of women especially in rural areas. i.e., the responsibility which every corporate should have to play towards society- some part of the profit is to be invested in social welfare. At the core of this project lies women empowerment, equity, and rights and it aims to increase the livelihood opportunities as well as health management of women especially in rural areas, Oil stated in a press communique. The sanitary napkin production and marketing unit would be managed by a large network of rural women for the promotion of menstrual health and hygiene management among the vulnerable communities such as adults and girls, pregnant and lactating women and rural women in the reproductive age group. There are some chances for increasing employment among local women by this project. The scheme aims to act upon issues like access and disposal of sanitary napkins, limited awareness and the social stigma surrounding menstrual health and hygiene, friendly and biodegradable sanitary napkins.

How to remove menstruation taboos?

Menstrual taboos can be removed only when children are taught from a young age that this is not something to hide or be ashamed of. Instead of having separate sessions on menstruation for girls, schools should include boys in such workshops so that they can understand what a girl goes through during this time and can be more open about it. Many times, boys and men are ruefully unaware of how menstruation affects a female and this causes them to see it as a taboo subject, but if things are discussed openly in the classroom, the same atmosphere is bound to leak out, creating an environment that is better suited for public addressing of this topic.

Apart from the school teachings, the family members should be open about such topics rather than taking a step back. The family members should themselves impart knowledge related to such serious, but unfortunately unacknowledged, issues to their children. 

Movies and advertisements can play a major role in spreading awareness about period hygiene. 

The involvement of well-known people in campaigns to normalise menstruation will help further.

Workshops and interactive sessions in rural areas can play an important role in dissolving such taboos. 

It takes only an open mindset and public talk on this topic to change the narrative.

There is a tremendous need for youth to step up and bust the myths surrounding menstruation by imparting knowledge about this purely scientific and natural process. 

BY: RAKSHITA JOSHI  

REFERENCES:

1.https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-legislation-that-makes-scotland-the-first-country-to-make-sanitary-products-free-7069213/lite/

2.https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(18)30143-3/fulltext

3.https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51629880