Ever heard of a country providing freedom of periods? Well, we are happy to share that Scotland becomes the first nation to provide free and universal access to periods product.
On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament with one voice passed legislation in favor of the Period Product (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act.
Yes, this decision of the Scottish Government is the reason that Scotland has become the world’s first country that is going to provide free access to sanitary products to all women irrespective of their age group.
As per the Guardian report, the Scottish government will set in motion a nationwide program that will place a legal obligation on all local authorities to make feminine hygiene products such as tampons and sanitary pads freely available for those who need them, under the Act.
These measures will make these products easily and freely available in all the public places including the community centers, youth clubs, and pharmacies by 2022, the approximate cost of which is £8.7 million a year. Schools, colleges, and universities will also be made to compulsorily make feminine hygiene products accessible for their students, Forbes reported.
The Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, Monica Lennon, introduced this bill in April 2019. She shared that the goal of this campaign is to eliminate “period poverty” by ensuring that everyone has access to basic sanitary products.
She also added that this act will create a massive difference in the life of all the women and young girls who go through menstruation. The community and local authorities are showing great progress in giving everyone a chance of period dignity.
This new law brought light and life and is widely praised by a number of women, women’s groups as well as politicians in Scotland. There has been a gigantic change in the manner that periods were discussed in public. If we look into the past, all the people including Hollywood, used to shy away and never discussed menstruation openly, whereas, in today’s time, it has become a mainstream topic.
As per the data available, it showed that 1 in 10 girls in Scotland was not able to afford period products. This Act has the power to change things for good. Hoping and wishing that from now on there will be no female who would have to compromise upon period products and they can, for real, live free.
Wishing Scotland many congratulations and hoping that this step can help in creating awareness all over the world and stop treating menstruation as a Taboo.
