Scottish legislation targets ‘period poverty’

LONDON – Scotland could become the first country to ban “period poverty” to help women and girls who can’t afford feminine hygiene products such as maxi-pads and tampons.

The problem is rarely spoken about in public, but it affects millions of women and girls around the world.

At least 500 million women and girls lack the means to manage their monthly periods, according to a report in 2015 by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Many drop out of school or miss days of class as a result.

In Britain, a petition in 2015 called for the government to ax the “tampon tax” — a 5% sales tax on sanitary products. The government voted the following year to scrap the tariff, but it is caught up in Brexit negotiations to separate from the European Union.

In the USA, most states charge sales tax for women’s pads and tampons. Nine states dropped the tampon tax — Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida, according to NPR. Seven states have introduced such legislation, most recently Nebraska, Virginia and Arizona.

An attempt in California to eliminate a tax on tampons failed in January.

A survey by Women for Independence, a grass-roots group, said nearly one in five women in Scotland are unable to afford sanitary products.

Monica Lennon, a lawmaker from Scotland’s Labour Party, plans to introduce a bill that would allow anyone in need to get free sanitary products at food banks, schools and universities.

She noted that condoms and other contraception are free in Scotland, so “why can’t we get that for pads and tampons?”