‘Free period product’ move is welcomed
Food bank says public are‘on board’with the idea
Staff at Perth and Kinross Foodbank says proposals to offer all women in Scotland free sanitary products is“a move in the right direction”.
Last month the Scottish Government agreed to introduce the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill, which would place a legal duty on the government to make sure period products are free of charge to anyone who needs them.
Eleanor Kelleher, project coordinator at the city’s food bank, says they often get donations of tampons and sanitary pads to hand out to those in need.
She said: “The public feeling is that this is something that should be provided so it is good we are moving towards that.
“Because we get so many period products donated, we are able to give them out to other agencies as well to make sure they are spread out across the local area as needed.
“They are already being provided for free in education and public buildings, and that has shown there is a need for this.
“The public are already on board with this because they donate them to the food bank, no one seems to have a problem with this idea.
“Just as people need food, they need sanitary products.
“This can only be a move in the right direction.”
Regulations are now being brought into place to make sure all local authorities provide these products, and the government will also be looking to develop an app to locate free products and leading a campaign to remove the stigma around periods.
The policy received crosspart support in the Scottish Parliament, but some warned there was work to be done to make the bill workable.
Scottish Conservative Perthshire MSP Alexander Stewart spoke during last week’s debate.
He said: “It is absolutely right that no one should find it difficult to access sanitary products due to poverty but the real question here is whether this bill is the right way to address this inequality and whether a universal scheme, underpinned by legislation, is the right approach.
“It is important also to ensure that we keep an open mind about how best we might address these issues and target support to those who need it most, as period poverty, not only across Perth and Kinross but all over Scotland, is an incredibly important issue and both this bill, plus the issue itself, more generally, require careful consideration.”