Another year gone and girls are still waiting for free sanitary pads
Milly Nassolo
What you need to know:
- In many countries, menstruation is still perceived as taboo and during the time of menstruation girls and women must face many challenges, including discrimination, harassment, social exclusion, and perceptions such as describing menstruation as shameful and dirt.
This week, Kenyan nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba was kicked out of the Senate session for what authorities termed as inappropriate dress code.
The legislator turned up in a white suit with a blood stain in a solo demonstration against period poverty.
Well, I am yet to take Ms Orwoba’s path but sometimes it is important to take abnormal paths in abnormal situations to normalise issues.
It is sad that Uganda is yet to realise President Museveni’s sanitary pads promise that he made in 2015 while campaigning in Lango sub-region.
It is worrying that government is selfishly allowing menstruation to rob the futures of school-going girls who are determined to achieve their dreams through education.
It is time for our decision makers to understand that lack of access to safe means of managing menstruation affects the education, health and dignity of millions of women and girls in Uganda.
Clearly, an intervention programme, including accessible sanitation products and education, is recommended to tackle this gender inequality for girls in a country where adults who willingly choose to copulate are given condoms but not a pad for a young woman who faces nature.
In 2015, President Museveni promised to provide school girls with free sanitary pads. This and many other commitments have been made by the government in respect to women, but we are still waiting to see all these fulfilled.
Poor access to menstrual health and hygiene has harmful effects on the right to education of girls. Article 12 of the Maputo Protocol seeks to protect this right by urging states to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and guarantee equal opportunity and access in the sphere of education and training.
Thus, one way in which states can ensure that girls are not impeded from accessing their right to education is by ensuring that there is adequate access to sanitary pads and other materials required to tackle period poverty.
I hereby continue to call upon the President and the Office of the First Lady and Minister of Education to honour their pledge to distribute free sanitary pads to girls in schools so as to end the inequality caused by period poverty.
Failure to prioritise menstrual health as a human right has far-reaching negative impacts on the lives of young girls and women such as a restriction of their mobility, freedom and choices; affecting attendance and participation in school and community life; child marriages and mental health challenges.
In many countries, menstruation is still perceived as taboo and during the time of menstruation girls and women must face many challenges, including discrimination, harassment, social exclusion, and perceptions such as describing menstruation as shameful and dirt.
The status quo can only change if decision makers are at the fore front and one among the most important steps to be taken is by providing free sanitary towels to girls in schools.
Milly Nassolo is as lawyer and human rights activist. @Milly_nassolo
