Menstrual product tariffs should be eliminated, according to the Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WiWASH), a civil society group.
In Ghana, sanitary towels are seen as luxury goods and are subject to taxes imposed by the government. WiWASH thinks that if the taxes were eliminated, the price of sanitary towels would drop, making them more affordable for young girls.
Last Wednesday, the Secretary of WiWASH, Solace A. M. Akomeah, spoke to the Daily Graphic at Ashaiman on the sidelines of events commemorating this year's Menstrual Hygiene Day. She said the available data indicated that although most girls used and thought disposable sanitary pads were necessary to maintain hygiene, self-confidence, and dignity, they were expensive because the product was subjected to harsh conditions.
She urged the government to reconsider the goods tax rates as a result.
Day of Menstrual Hygiene
Members of WiWASH started an educational course on menstrual hygiene for students at the Ashaiman 'A' and 'B' Presbyterian as well as Church of Christ schools in the Greater Accra Region as part of celebrations celebrating the day.
Additionally, they provided 300 students in the Ashaiman Municipality with sanitary supplies, including 24 boxes of sanitary pads, gallons of liquid soap, boxes of carbolic soap, and bundles of toilet paper and paper towels, to help them manage their periods and menstrual hygiene.
In order to make menstrual management enjoyable for girls, Ms. Akomeah encouraged the government to provide menstruation-friendly conditions in underprivileged schools. All women and girls should be able to control their periods, she said.
A Time of Poverty
She said that although women's lives had improved significantly in recent years, an estimated 500 million people still lived in periods of poverty, meaning they lacked access to menstruation products, education, sanitary facilities, waste management, or any combination of these things.
Becca Arthur, the coordinator of the Ashaiman Municipal School Health Education Programme (SHEP), observed that although menstruation was a normal and essential aspect of a woman's life, it remained taboo and stigmatised in many countries.
She argued that girls' and women's health, education, and general well-being might suffer significantly from a lack of knowledge of and access to menstrual health services, and she urged all-inclusive campaigning to create a setting that fosters empathy, support, and understanding.
We aim to raise a generation of young men who are informed, sympathetic, and respectful of the experiences of their female classmates by encouraging males to join in this dialogue, the speaker stated.
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