SANITARY PADS – A NECESSITY NOT LUXURY

By: IGISINGIZO Sandra Shekinah, Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux

Can you imagine the consequences the world would face if condoms weren’t free and available? Male condoms account for 21% alone according to the UN report of Contraceptive Use by method 2019. The handing out of free condoms reduces the cases of people who get infected by STIs and unwanted pregnancies. However the lack of sanitary pads in all public washrooms also poses a big problem to women and girls worldwide. It has been found out that the average woman has more than 400 periods in her lifetime which makes it even harder if there are no menstrual hygiene facilities available. Therefore awareness on this issue should be raised because its consequences are vast than most people would think. This is why I believe sanitary pads should be available in all public washrooms to increase productivity of women and girls, decrease costs and save on wastes.

Unavailability of sanitary pads in all occasions affects productivity at school and work. Getting caught without them can be stressful and distracting because the person feels self conscious and anxiety starts to set in which steals the attention from the task at hand. A survey from Plan Canada International showed that, almost 75% of the women they spoke to reported missing work for reasons related to their periods, such as not having the supplies they need. It will also lead to missing school or even dropping out of school all together for girls hitting puberty. In places where menstruation is considered dirty girls are at a risk of infection and face stigma hence, their self esteem and confidence suffer in return. According to the report, Dignity for Her, “Girls tend to miss school six days a month on an average due to the inability to manage their periods at school. This eventually contributes to almost 23 per cent girls dropping out of school on reaching puberty”. This stops them from playing a meaningful role in society and hinders their development.

Another benefit would be saving the earth from wastes that come from ruined underwear. An estimate from HuffPost stated that women spend over $2000 in their lifetime on replacing underwear that has been ruined by leaks. This comes as a huge global challenge if we want to save the world from climate change. And the scarcity of sanitary pads in all public washrooms offers other alternatives such as the use of pieces of clothes in place of sanitary pads or tampons which is commonly observed in rural areas which leads to land and water pollution. In fact it was found out that 20% of industrial water pollution is estimated to come from garment manufacturing, while the global apparel and footwear industries account for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Which is a good enough reason to provide them for free everywhere because, who would want to see their living space come to pieces by one of the causes they could have prevented? 

Finally, providing free sanitary pads would reduce costs especially for low earning families. Menstrual products can be expensive in fact a recent survey from the USA in the St.Louis area discovered that almost two thirds of low income women in that major city were unable to afford menstrual hygiene products. Toilet paper and paper towels in public washrooms are not paid for so why should sanitary pads be when they’re both hygiene products? Similarly it’s hard for people who live pay cheque- to- pay cheque as a random charge can break their budget. Provision of free period products in all toilets, not only saves money on the cost of period products but also on the cost of potentially ruined undergarments and the waste that goes along with it.

On the other hand, free condom distribution reduces on the number of people who contract STIs. There has been a great improvement in the past years in the STIs spread through provision of condoms as they are a major way of preventing them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean a decrease in the number of pregnancies and abortions. Condoms remain to be the major contraceptive method used by teens, which is why just handing them out won’t reduce teen pregnancy rates. Access is important, but education is, too. Programs that give out free condoms should focus on educating the population through counseling to ensure its effectiveness.  Researchers Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman of the University of Notre Dame found out that teen birth rose to 10 per cent at schools that gave out free condoms to students. This rise was mostly caused by not giving mandatory counseling to students on proper condom use. Another point to note is that condoms can be substituted and alternatives such as the long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), like IUDs and implants and pills are way more effective at preventing pregnancies than condoms. According to the CDC condom use decreased by about half among women aged 15 to 19 between 1995 and 2010 while reliance on hormonal birth control has gone up, especially among women under 30. While women in their late 20s and 30s are more likely than teens to get IUDs, the greatest decrease in condom use as the only method of birth control was among teens.

 In conclusion, wouldn’t it be better if the ozone layer wasn’t being constantly depleted, families able to save up a couple thousand dollars or women and girls able to  achieve their goals and ambitions which in turn develops nations? Or even worse a parent losing her job and no way to carter for her family?  A sister, relative or friend dropping out of school with no other way to get a deserving career?  Well, the answer to all that would be ensuring the accessibility of menstrual hygiene facilities in each and every washroom. Let’s raise awareness on this issue and prevent all the above from happening, after all sex is a choice, menstruation is not. 

Can you imagine the consequences the world would face if condoms weren’t free and available? Male condoms account for 21% alone according to the UN report of Contraceptive Use by method 2019. The handing out of free condoms reduces the cases of people who get infected by STIs and unwanted pregnancies. However the lack of sanitary pads in all public washrooms also poses a big problem to women and girls worldwide. It has been found out that the average woman has more than 400 periods in her lifetime which makes it even harder if there are no menstrual hygiene facilities available. Therefore awareness on this issue should be raised because its consequences are vast than most people would think. This is why I believe sanitary pads should be available in all public washrooms to increase productivity of women and girls, decrease costs and save on wastes.

Unavailability of sanitary pads in all occasions affects productivity at school and work. Getting caught without them can be stressful and distracting because the person feels self conscious and anxiety starts to set in which steals the attention from the task at hand. A survey from Plan Canada International showed that, almost 75% of the women they spoke to reported missing work for reasons related to their periods, such as not having the supplies they need. It will also lead to missing school or even dropping out of school all together for girls hitting puberty. In places where menstruation is considered dirty girls are at a risk of infection and face stigma hence, their self esteem and confidence suffer in return. According to the report, Dignity for Her, “Girls tend to miss school six days a month on an average due to the inability to manage their periods at school. This eventually contributes to almost 23 per cent girls dropping out of school on reaching puberty”. This stops them from playing a meaningful role in society and hinders their development.

Another benefit would be saving the earth from wastes that come from ruined underwear. An estimate from HuffPost stated that women spend over $2000 in their lifetime on replacing underwear that has been ruined by leaks. This comes as a huge global challenge if we want to save the world from climate change. And the scarcity of sanitary pads in all public washrooms offers other alternatives such as the use of pieces of clothes in place of sanitary pads or tampons which is commonly observed in rural areas which leads to land and water pollution. In fact it was found out that 20% of industrial water pollution is estimated to come from garment manufacturing, while the global apparel and footwear industries account for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Which is a good enough reason to provide them for free everywhere because, who would want to see their living space come to pieces by one of the causes they could have prevented? 

Finally, providing free sanitary pads would reduce costs especially for low earning families. Menstrual products can be expensive in fact a recent survey from the USA in the St.Louis area discovered that almost two thirds of low income women in that major city were unable to afford menstrual hygiene products. Toilet paper and paper towels in public washrooms are not paid for so why should sanitary pads be when they’re both hygiene products? Similarly it’s hard for people who live pay cheque- to- pay cheque as a random charge can break their budget. Provision of free period products in all toilets, not only saves money on the cost of period products but also on the cost of potentially ruined undergarments and the waste that goes along with it.

On the other hand, free condom distribution reduces on the number of people who contract STIs. There has been a great improvement in the past years in the STIs spread through provision of condoms as they are a major way of preventing them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean a decrease in the number of pregnancies and abortions. Condoms remain to be the major contraceptive method used by teens, which is why just handing them out won’t reduce teen pregnancy rates. Access is important, but education is, too. Programs that give out free condoms should focus on educating the population through counseling to ensure its effectiveness.  Researchers Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman of the University of Notre Dame found out that teen birth rose to 10 per cent at schools that gave out free condoms to students. This rise was mostly caused by not giving mandatory counseling to students on proper condom use. Another point to note is that condoms can be substituted and alternatives such as the long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), like IUDs and implants and pills are way more effective at preventing pregnancies than condoms. According to the CDC condom use decreased by about half among women aged 15 to 19 between 1995 and 2010 while reliance on hormonal birth control has gone up, especially among women under 30. While women in their late 20s and 30s are more likely than teens to get IUDs, the greatest decrease in condom use as the only method of birth control was among teens.

In conclusion, wouldn’t it be better if the ozone layer wasn’t being constantly depleted, families able to save up a couple thousand dollars or women and girls able to  achieve their goals and ambitions which in turn develops nations? Or even worse a parent losing her job and no way to carter for her family?  A sister, relative or friend dropping out of school with no other way to get a deserving career?  Well, the answer to all that would be ensuring the accessibility of menstrual hygiene facilities in each and every washroom. Let’s raise awareness on this issue and prevent all the above from happening, after all sex is a choice, menstruation is not.