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A non-governmental organization (NGO), Focusing on Women and Girls Initiative for Positive Change (FOWGI) has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to remove all taxes on sanitary pads to make them accessible and affordable.
The Executive Director of FOWGI, Mrs Rifkatu Ademola, made the call during sensitisation on menstrual hygiene management and distribution of sanitary pads to 1,500 students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Dutse in the FCT.
Ademola, also a menstrual hygiene educator and advocate of girls’ education, said that the gesture was to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 and create a platform for the full expression of African females.
According to her, the goal is to ensure that by 2030, menstruation becomes a normal topic with no girl left behind.
She added that “it is good to see women seated in meetings where decisions that affect their lives are taken.
“We believe that menstruation is a normal phenomenon, totally natural. It is not anyone’s choice to say I decide to be a boy today, I decide to be a girl tomorrow.
“Why should anyone feel ashamed to identify with menstruation? Let there be free sanitary pads in offices, schools, airports and everywhere. Let it be tax-free because it is not a luxury, it is not a choice. It is normal, natural, so we should embrace it.”
The FOWGI boss also quoted a UNESCO report as saying “one in every 10 girls miss school due to menstruation, stigmatisation and inadequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.
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She added that some girls were forced to sit on the sand to absorb the blood.
“We discovered that girls miss school during their period every month and according to UNESCO, one out of 10 African girls misses out on school when it is their time of the month.
“We have come across girls who said they use sand so that it can absorb the blood and the fear of stigmatisation in schools, fear of getting stained makes them stay at home rather than go to school.
“It means 10 to 20 per cent of their learning process during academic activities is affected.
“We are advocating for girls to be educated; if they are missing out on school, how do we achieve that?’’ she asked.
Ademola further said that in the last five years, the FOWGI had distributed sanitary pads to over 59,200 students in Bauchi, Plateau and the FCT and urged the government and private organisations to establish a pad bank where young underprivileged girls could access pads.
On her part, Hajiya Fatima Mohammed, the Principal, GGSS Dutse, commended the organisation for its support.
Mohammed said the sensitisation on menstrual hygiene management would aid the students to know more about their cycle, build their confidence and appropriate way to ensure hygiene.
