Women
Tampons for everyone: Scottish law against period poverty
Free access to tampons and pads is now a legal requirement in Scotland. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa
Around the world, many girls and women do not have adequate access to period products. Pioneer Scotland has already put €32 million into the fight against the problem.
Free access to tampons and pads is now a legal requirement in Scotland. A law went into effect today that requires educational institutions and municipal bodies to “provide free period products to anyone who needs them.” According to its own information, Scotland is the first country in the world to have such a law.
Scottish Labor MP Monica Lennon, who sponsored the law passed back in 2020, said: “Especially now, with the cost of living rising, the law is a beacon of hope, showing what can be achieved when politicians come together and for the good of people act.”
Since 2017, Scotland has already invested around £27m (almost €32m) to make pads and tampons accessible in public places. Availability has been mandatory in schools for the past year and is now being expanded. “We are proud to be the first national government in the world to take this step,” said Social Justice Minister Shona Robison.
Period poverty – the fact that girls and women cannot afford suitable period products – is a problem in many countries around the world. A 2017 survey by the charity Plan International found that 10% of girls and young women aged 14 to 21 in the UK could not afford menstrual products – 15% had financial difficulties to afford them.