Activists call for tax reduction on sanitary pads

Activists from different Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have asked government to reduce taxes on sanitary towels to enable affordability.

The call comes after a February 8 Monitor  story revealing a section of girls who are making sanitary pads from soil in Uganda’s Busoga sub-region.

“The value added tax act is amended every year and last year it was amended and prices of the diapers increased. I wish CSOs in menstrual health and hygiene petition the parliament in the next amendment to reduce these taxes,” Women’s Probono Initiative legal officer Lorna Nagawa said on Wednesday.

Together Alive Initiative team leader Charles Tumwebaze called for public-private partnerships to subsidize the cost of menstrual products.

Meanwhile, WoMena Uganda executive director Shamirah Nakalema asked government to invest more in providing sustainable reusable menstrual products saying “they are also friendly to the environment.’’

“However much the government would want to give out the disposable pads, they will not be sustainable and at the end of the day, there will still be a high demand,” she added.

A 2020 study by the Ministry of Education and Sports revealed that out of 152 girls interviewed, 43 reported having emergency pads at school while 109 (71 per cent) of the girls had none in their schools.

The same study established that the increase in school absenteeism among girls is partly attributed to starting their period.

More than half of girls that enroll in primary one drop out before sitting their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) mainly because of menstrual challenges such as inability to afford sanitary products such as pads, 77 per cent of girls miss 2– 3 days of school due to menstrual-related challenges.

“Our deliberate issue here is to have an output within that policy that is going to be combined by the Ministry of Health so that they have a portion on menstrual health that is directly towards access to information and other services,” Miriam Mutesi, executive Director of Youth Chapter of Uganda said.

In addition, Hope Nankunda, the Executive Director of Raising Teenagers Uganda, asked schools to utilize government’s annual Shs 14,000 capitation per pupil to address menstrual health and hygiene (MHH), including purchasing emergency pads.

“It is imperative to establish a more sustainable strategy by allocating a specific budget dedicated to MHH for both in-school and out-of-school girls. This can be effectively achieved through the implementation of the MHH Policy, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all MHH needs for girls and women,” Nankunda added.