Remove tax on sanitary napkins – Panelists say to the government

General News on Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-05-29

Participants in a debate on menstrual hygiene management asked the government to remove the 20% tax on imported sanitary towels, making the product inaccessible to poor and vulnerable women and girls throughout the world. country.

According to them, the high cost of sanitary napkins forced many women to use unhygienic materials, such as pieces of cloth, that could cause infections if they were not properly disinfected.

They spoke at the commemoration of this year's Menstrual Hygiene Day in Accra.

The Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) is celebrated every year in the world on May 28, with the goal of breaking the taboos that surround menstruation.

The day is also intended to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management and to raise awareness of the importance of good menstrual hygiene worldwide.

In Ghana, the day was marked by a roundtable on health management at least organized by the Ghana Education Service (GES), under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Gender, Childhood and Social Protection. health among others.

It was supported by donor partners, including UNICEF and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The theme of the commemoration was "It is time to take over the management of menstrual hygiene".

Round table

Panel members were the director of the Department of Childhood, Florence Ayisi Quartey; Ms. Emily Otoo-Quayson, Youth Advocate; the director of the Guidance and Counseling Unit, GES, Ms. Ivy Kumi; Ms. Abigail Teye, another youth activist and country director, Days for Girls, Ms. Appiah Boakye.

Ms. Quartey, who started the discussions, argued that the imposition of a 20% tax on imported sanitary napkins while there were no locally manufactured alternatives was discriminatory for women.

She stated that it violated their rights, menstruation being a natural phenomenon over which a woman or girl had no control.

Ms. Quartey therefore urged the government to reconsider the tax on sanitary napkins, as it was difficult for many women to buy it.

Ms. Otoo-Quayson for her part announced that she was currently working with a colleague to manufacture sanitary napkins from banana fiber.

She corroborated the fact that the high cost of sanitary napkins on the market made access to many women difficult.

In her contribution, Ms. Kumi called for more education on menstrual hygiene to help her demystify it so that girls do not feel ashamed to let others know that they are not ashamed of it. they are in their rules.

Ms. Teye, for her part, called on parents to ensure that they instruct their young girls before their first menstrual period to help them minimize the inconvenience they should be experiencing.

In addition, Ms. Boakye called for a comprehensive approach to make menstruation less traumatic for girls in school by providing them with adequate water and sanitation facilities.

Partnerships

Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, said in a message of solidarity that UNICEF Ghana is also making efforts in a partnership with KOICA ™ and Global Affairs Canada to help girls reach their full potential

She added that during menstruation, girls were susceptible and at risk of becoming anemic if their diet did not contain enough iron, adding that UNICEF therefore supported the government's GIFTS (Folate Acid iron for girls) in 13 regions.

She added that UNICEF also supported the development of minimum guidelines for WASH in schools, which included specifications for sanitary facilities with integrated locker rooms for girls who had their period.

Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare Freda Prempeh urged parents not to hide behind poverty and neglect the needs of their children.

She said some unscrupulous men capitalized on their negligence and provided money for sanitary napkins to attract young girls into romantic relationships.

Ms Prempeh, MP for the new patriotic party for Tano North in the Ahafo region, said that she and other colleagues were discussing tax exemption on sanitary napkins so the We can do something about it soon.