The first country in the world to take care of women in practice – now tampons and pads in Scotland will be free for them.
Starting today, August 15, educational and government institutions of the country are required to provide hygiene products for women free of charge. This is the first such experience, writes DW, in other countries there are no such programs at the legislative level.
Since 2017, the Scottish Government has invested more than £27 million, or approximately €32 million, to implement the nationwide programme. The authorities promised that 1,000 points with free feminine hygiene products will open in different parts of the country. You can find out about their location through the “PickupMyPeriod” application. Shauna Robison, Social Justice Secretary of the Scottish Government proudly comments on the Government’s initiative:
“Ensuring free access to menstruation products is fundamental to maintaining equity and human dignity, and it removes financial barriers.”
It is worth noting that the attitude towards feminine hygiene products is changing not only in Scotland. In France, last year they decided to provide free pads and tampons to students, for this purpose special machines were installed in dormitories and campuses. California and New Zealand have similar programs.
This topic is being discussed in Germany as well. The first step towards this in the country was taken in 2019. Then a petition appeared on Change.org, which gained 200,000 signatures, in response to which the government reduced VAT on hygiene products for women.
But the women’s rights activists were not satisfied with this. A new petition has appeared on the site calling for the Scottish example to make feminine hygiene products free. She has already collected tens of thousands of signatures, writes BB.LV.
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