Scotland make sanitary products free

Scotland as a measure to tackle 'period poverty' has made period products freely available to anyone who needs it thereby becoming the first nation to do so, tweeted the official account of Scottish Parliament.

The bill on free provision of period products in the country was approved with a unanimous vote in the Scottish parliament on Tuesday. The local authorities are now bound to ensure free availability of sanitary items such as pads and tampons to "anyone who needs it" with "reasonable dignity".

The aim of this bill introduced by Monica Lennon, an MP of Scottish Parliament is to end period poverty which is when a group of people struggle to or cannot afford sanitary products. Surveys conducted in the country had shown that 15% of the girls struggle to afford sanitary products in addition to many missing schools during their periods and also young teens being embarrassed to buy such products.

Under this bill schools, colleges and universities must always make a range of period products available for free in their washrooms, the government will set up a Scotland-wide scheme to allow anyone to get such products free of charge and the government will also have the power to set up public bodies to provide these products to the people.

A draft of this bill had received an initial approval from parliament in the beginning of this year which has now been legally passed. Scotland had already made history by making sanitary products free in schools and universities two years ago.

Monica thanked all those who helped this progressive move possible and said "It matters now more important than ever because periods don't stop for pandemic …. Our prize is the opportunity to consign period poverty to history".

The bill has been passed not only because of the issue of the cost of the products but also by taking into consideration the variety of circumstances girls, women and transgender people face and experience during menstruation. The higher aim of this law is to eradicate all the stigmas and embarrassment surrounding menstruation and to ensure that women's health remains a high priority.

Scotland has set a highly appreciable example to the rest of the countries where debates are still going on regarding the free provision of sanitary products for women.