: Scotland Just Showed How Easy It Is To End ‘Period Poverty’ #WorldNEWS Scotland has become the first country in the world to legally enshrine the right to free period products, in a vital step

Scotland Just Showed How Easy It Is To End ‘Period Poverty’ #WorldNEWS
Scotland has become the first country in the world to legally enshrine the right to free period products, in a vital step toward ending “period poverty. ” The Period Products Act, which came into force today after Scotlands parliament unanimously approved the law in 2020, compels local governments and educational institutions to provide products to anyone who needs them.
Activists tell TIME that by enabling women, girls and people who menstruate to manage their periods healthily and effectively, the law both protects a fundamental human right and removes societal stigma.
Globally, around 500 million people who menstruate live in period poverty—the inability to access menstrual products because of financial constraints. It has wide ranging implications, particularly on health, as people who menstruate are often forced to use inadequate makeshift items to manage their periods.
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In many poor countries, it’s estimated that half of all women and girls are sometimes forced to use items like rags, grass and paper instead of menstrual pads and tampons. The issue is not just confined to poor countries—two-thirds of the 16. 9 million low-income women in the U. S. could not afford menstrual products in the past year.
Read More: The Great Tampon Shortage of 2022: The Supply Chain Problem No One’s Talking About
That’s why Scotland’s period product law is so important, activists and legislators say. “It was about showing, through practical politics, that we can make a difference, and that women, girls and people who menstruate can feel valued,” says Monica Lennon, a member of parliament in Scotland who campaigned for the law.
While conducting early research into the issue in 2016, Lennon says she was shocked to find that Scottish women were using toilet paper or rags—and missing school or work because they were unable to afford period products. In some cases, Lennon adds, victims of domestic abuse were prevented from accessing products by controlling partners. She sought to tackle the issue in a “dignified way”—making products as readily available as toilet paper in a public bathroom.
“Periods are normal,” she says, “and no one should ever be made to feel ashamed, or that it’s dirty or needs to be hidden away. ” Lennon’s goal is to remove all barriers to society that having a period may present—“its about making sure that everyone can participate in education and work and sport and other leisure pursuits. You shouldnt have to give that up because youre on your period,” she adds. In 2019, a survey of 1,000 girls in the U.

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