SANITARY PADS ARE A NECESSITY, CONDOMS ARE WANTS

 By: UMUMARARUNGU Ines Marie Ange, Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux

Sanitary pads are a woman’s need when her days are due but the cheapest sanitary pad packet locally available costs 600rwfs to 1000Rwfs and this is after the government of Rwanda removed the value added taxes on sanitary pads ^[1]. It was considered a positive direction to move in and a relatively low cost but this is quite only just a step on an otherwise long journey. This is because it is just starting to be noticed but not yet acknowledged.

The question of withdrawing the cost to either condoms or sanitary pads is an ongoing conversation and unfortunately one that is still very controversial. With advances being made to eradicate HIV and AIDS through the distribution of condoms as a key factor, the need for sanitary pads and the overall women’s hygiene products’ availability and affordability is deliberately overlooked and undermined.

Women’s health and hygiene is an important issue whereby it was one of the reasons girls and women missed school, work or were limited to carry out some activities they normally do. Period poverty is a term used to describe the struggle that low and middle-income women face to afford menstrual products, while this is a reality it was far worsened by the pandemic around the world making the prices going up including the prices of sanitary pads ^[2].

Additionally, and more alarming is that the lack of menstrual products far deepens the stigma around menstruation. Not being able to manage it properly reinforces the stereotypes that indeed women in menstruation are dirty, they can not touch certain foods, objects, they cannot be allowed in some places. This however is not because it is true, it is because they lack the means to be clean. As afore mentioned this limits women and girls and it would be a shame to say “women empowerment” while undermining their health and hygiene.

Furthermore, the lack of free sanitary pads in public places is still an issue although there is a project of “girls’ room” where in some schools there is a room where girls have access to a room where they can change and be given free sanitary pads ^[3]. This indeed is an example and clear proof that women and girls need these kind of facilities in more public places like workplaces, public restrooms and other areas where necessary in order to help them in their needs.

Condoms in contrast are very much readily and freely available as the government of Rwanda in partnership with the AIDS Healthcare foundation (AHF) has distributed over free 30 million male condoms according to ^[4]. Condoms are really required to satisfy a want rather than a need. And, while condoms are a key to prevent AIDS/HIV this raises a deeper question when compared to the availability of sanitary pads for free, what picture does putting wants before needs of many women and girls illustrate of our society? Can we talk about women empowerment while ignoring some of important problems they are facing? This also adds on to the fact that sex can be prepared and one cannot be caught off guard by it as opposed to periods. Here abstinence is an option, while menstruation is inevitable. It is only understandable to sell condoms at a reasonable price rather than selling sanitary pads at incredulous prices.

In conclusion, this discussion is not simply about condoms versus sanitary pads, it is also about a continuous struggle to give women the dignity they deserve especially the most vulnerable and undervalued ones. Gender equality entails giving men and women equal rights and in this case their health and hygiene cared for in equal proportions.

List of references

1. https://www.ktpress.rw/2019/12/rwanda-scraps-value-added-tax-on-sanitary-pads/

2. https://www.unfpa.org/menstruationfaq#Period%20Poverty

3. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/women/girls-room-how-sanitary-pads-keep-girls-school

4. https://www.ktpress.rw/2020/02/rwanda-to-distribute-over-30m-condoms-this-year/#:~:text=This%20year%20alone%2C%20Rwanda's%20key,from%203%20million%20in%202019