In an effort to combat poverty, Scotland became the first country in the world to give out free sanitary napkins to students this past Friday.
Victoria Heaney, who led the charge to provide free sanitary napkins, conducted a survey on period poverty last year for Women for Independence, a grassroots group in Scotland. Her survey found that nearly one in five respondents had difficulty affording menstrual products each month. These instances of period poverty contribute to missed classes and challenges at school.
Based on her findings, Heaney started the #FreePeriodScotland campaign, which caught the attention of the Scottish government and, ultimately, helped spark a conversation across Scotland about the fight against period poverty.
The $6 million policy intends to promote equal access to sanitary products and help prevent disruption to education for all 395,000 students.
“In a country as rich as Scotland it’s unacceptable that anyone should struggle to buy basic sanitary product,” communications secretary Aileen Campbell told The Guardian. “I am proud that Scotland is taking this world-leading action to fight period poverty. I welcome the support of local authorities, colleges and universities in implementing this initiative.”
In the long run, Scotland aims to provide free sanitary products for all women, not just students. It’s time other countries follow suit because for women, menstrual products are far from being a luxury item.
By: Maytinee Kramer
