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Sophia Cassim
When you walk into a bathroom whether it’s in your school, at a restaurant, in the library or anywhere else you never have to doubt there will be stocked toilet paper and hand soap, right? So now imagine you are a young girl who is in the beginning of her period cycles, she rushes to the bathroom and to her dismay there’s no stocked tampons or pads for her. So what does she do?
Unfortunately in our day of age, so many girls and women across the world face this dilemma everyday worrying what they should do. Menstrual products, while such a necessary product for women, aren’t deemed as essential products in the eyes of federal governments. Women in developing or conflict-affected countries are the most vulnerable to the inadequate access to menstrual products. They are forced to skip school, use unsanitary items in place of tampons or pads and have to deal with the shame of a normal biological event. Low income families are forced to make the decision of buying the overpriced box of tampons or buying food for their families; both necessities that unfortunately leave girls having to deal with their periods alone. The movement for menstrual equity which is fighting to eliminate the “pink tax” put on these products and to provide them in public institutions explains how not having affordable access can impact how women view their periods. “Period poverty” especially affects women living in poverty as not only are they the most vulnerable, but with no support from the government they are exposed to the shame and embarrassment inflicted upon them. The stigma surrounding this topic only results in poor education and possible health infections for these young girls. However, this issue does not only concern women rather this is a global health crisis that needs to be addressed by all. The lack of education and awareness especially in rural/poverty communities restrict women from going to school or to their job as they don’t want to face the embarrassment. In addition, girls are more likely to get urinary or reproductive infections and are more likely to experience domestic violence and malnourishment.
So how can we put an end to this issue? The first solution is to get the support and funding from the government so not only can menstrual products be an essential item but also an accessible item for all. Critics of the free tampon movement argue the idea of funding a luxury with taxpayer money and claim energy should be spent on something more important. However research shows that providing free menstrual products wouldn’t hurt the budget of state governments. The next action that should be taken is to normalize menstruation through providing education at an early age. To break the stigma, we need to raise awareness of why this is such a prevalent topic to all people and not just a “girl problem”. Women should not have to compromise their education to handle their periods, women should not have to feel shame for a completely normal thing, women should not have to sacrifice their health. The most important matter is for everyone to acknowledge that access to health products is a human right, a right that needs to be upheld for the well being of everyone.
Work Cited
Ruder, K. (2020, April 01). Tampons, Pads And Politics Mesh In New Push For Access To Menstrual Supplies. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://khn.org/news/tampons-pads-and-politics-mesh-in-new-push-for-access-to-menstrual-supplies/
Sanchez, E., & Rodriguez, L. (2019, February 5). Period Poverty: Everything You Need to Know. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/period-poverty-everything-you-need-to-know/
Scaccia, A. (2016, February 29). The Price Young Girls Pay When Tampons Aren't Free. Retrieved August 09, 2020, from https://www.freethetampons.org/the-price-young-girls-pay-when-tampons-arent-free.html