Child rights activists have tasked government to provide sanitary pad for less privileged girls and women, especially those in displaced crisis areas, IDP camps and prisons.
They made the call on Tuesday at a one-day conference in commemoration of this year’s ‘International ‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’, organised by The Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE) in collaboration with the Girls on a Mission (GOAM), Australia.
The event, which brought together 300 school girls from schools across Lagos and Ogun States, was held at the Inner Court House of Glory Hall, Ifako- Ogba, Lagos.
“Because we are having a global many girls and women face lots of challenges with regards to their menstrual health. Before now the menstrual health was seen as a taboo topic because people feel, culturally, it is not something that should be discussed. But many women and girls are having issues with coping.
“We just have to discuss it. As we speak there women in detention centres, with mental health challenges, fleeing conflicts out of jobs and girls from needy homes who are not able to manage their menstrual period every single month in their reproductive years.
“We see menstrual health as an issue that should be brought to the front burner. There are still millions with such challenges. We are saying the government should provide sanitary products for them and reduce taxes for companies producing such products so that they can be affordable,” the executive director of CEE-HOPE, Betty Abah, said.
The program featured also talks on film show among other varieties, “Menstrual Hygiene Management and distribution of free sanitary products, courtesy of GOAM, Australia.
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