Menstrual hygiene is a necessity; make it accessible

1. On Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Lady Pharmacists Association of Ghana (LAPAG) is calling for an end to period poverty which affects over 500 million people worldwide.

Period poverty, defined as a lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education, affects many women globally, causing physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

2. In Ghana, it is well documented that many adolescent girls stay out of school during their menses because of a lack of sanitary pads and lack of basic sanitation facilities to meet their privacy requirements.

According to a recent report by UNICEF, about 95% of girls in rural communities in Ghana miss around 20% of their school hours due to a lack of access to sanitary pads.

3. Many young girls and adolescents who menstruate are forced to use inadequate materials to build makeshift products or use period products for a prolonged time—in both cases, increasing the chance of reproductive and urinary tract infections, among other harmful outcomes.

Odours and leakages become a challenge, and for schoolgirls, these negative experiences of menstruating can lead to low self-esteem, discomfort, distraction, absenteeism, and even dropping out of school.

Based on the foregoing, LAPAG calls on the government and policymakers to:

1. Remove the 20% import tax on sanitary products, exempt these products from the 12.5% Value Added Tax and implement price control mechanisms to make these essential products more affordable and accessible. Additionally, the government should consider subsidizing these products in the interest of hygiene and health. Affordable menstrual health is a major public health and human rights issue and a matter of dignity for many low-income menstruators.

2. Create a system to allow free period products for anyone who needs them in our basic and second-cycle schools. These institutions must have a range of period products available for free in their washrooms, particularly in rural communities.

3. Ensure a positive and supportive environment that allows menstruating girls and women to participate in all aspects of life, going to school and work, sports.

4. Employ zero tolerance for dirty jokes about menstruation.

5. Provide reproductive health education (focusing on puberty and menstruation) to boys and girls in the school in order to destigmatize menstruation and ensure improved sanitation infrastructure (hand wash facility, disposal mechanisms, and privacy).

Conclusion

Addressing these issues and ensuring that menstrual hygiene products are considered essential, can help improve the health and well-being of girls and women in Ghana and beyond.

LAPAG wants to take this opportunity to applaud activists and political leaders, governments, NGOs, donor agencies, etc., who are increasingly devising policies to make sanitary products more accessible, not only through tax reduction but also through other measures such as subsidies or free distribution.

Thank you