By Ainina Hasnul
If you never had to struggle buying sanitary products, consider yourself fortunate because to some, it’s a luxury beyond reach.
Many confusion surrounds the recent statement made by Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi, head of Pejuang’s Young Women’s Youth Wing. She addressed the need for free sanitary products to be provided for lower-income women from the B40 group in order to reduce unnecessary pregnancy.
Reading from the headline, it does sound rather absurd. However, this absurdity exists; lower-income women are resorting to pregnancy due to period poverty. Hence, why it is important for us to truly understand the concept of this topic.
When the statement was released, many online users questioned the logic behind such a decision. Among the arguments put out was on the correlation of free pads and pregnancy and how this kind of support can reduce pregnancy among lower-income families. Aren’t the costs of pregnancy and raising a child more than buying sanitary pads?
To provide answers to the question, we need to imagine walking in the ‘poverty’ shoes. To live from hand to mouth drives you into a corner. What we need to understand is that those in poverty focus on short-term goals rather than long-term ones.
There are those who call it poor decision making, which is easy to say, speaking from a position of privilege. This is where empathy should come into play. Living in such conditions, decisions are made on how to go by today and tomorrow, instead of the future.
Planning ahead may in fact be another luxury those in poverty could not afford.
To understand the topic further, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) describes period poverty as a condition where low-income women struggle to afford menstrual products.
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) ActionAid calls it “a global issue affecting women and girls who don’t have access to safe, hygienic sanitary products, and/or who are unable to manage their periods with dignity, sometimes due to community stigma and sanction.”
In short, it is the inaccessibility of menstrual products and washing facilities among lower-income women. Due to these limitations, some women resort to getting pregnant or fasting as it disrupts the menstruation cycle. Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) research states that others find alternative products such as coconut husks, tattered clothes, banana leaves and newspapers to replace pads and tampons.
Some even find pieces of cloth from rubbish bins. Taking the quote “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” literally. The inaccessibility to clean water forces them to wash menstrual products in the rivers and ocean.
These alternatives may sound unbelievable, but you’d be surprised of what people would do on the brink of desperation.
What is worse is that period poverty goes beyond the issue of financial limitation. The concept of poverty is multidimensional, which is often overlooked by the public who has a fixed perception that poverty simply means lack of money.
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) covers a range of dimensions including education, health, living standards and income. If closely observed, all in which are linked to each other. Period poverty would be a great example of multidimensional poverty.
Now let’s connect the dots.
Improper menstrual management caused by period poverty could potentially lead to health problems such as urinary tract infection, bacterial infection and reproductive infection. All of these risks were stated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Equally concerning, the relationship between period poverty and school dropouts has many times been mentioned when discussing period poverty. The lack of access to menstruation products and washing facilities resulted in many cases of school absenteeism.
In both wealthy and underdeveloped countries like the United Kingdom and Rwanda respectively, many girls skip school days due to inability to manage periods properly. Past research has shown that in the UK, 49 percent of girls aged 14 to 21 missed an entire school day due to period poverty. In Rwanda, 50 school days were missed due to the same problem.
The same case is found in Malaysia. Zuraidah Daut, a social activist investigated the absence of a girl from a school in Kelantan. She found that the reason behind the girl’s absence was due to inability to afford sanitary products.
On top of that, lack of money limits purchase of pain relievers for period pain. Hence, worries of period leakage and cramps hinders results in absenteeism. The concern is that if this continues, some girls would eventually drop out of school.
Not only does the issue affect women’s health, it also has long-term effects on their education and productivity. This makes it a more complex issue than it already is. The severity of it costs a woman’s full potential.
Moreover, as the pandemic continues, more households face financial hardship. This leaves more space for period poverty to grow. Although many efforts have been made by NGOs and the government to provide basic necessities to families in need, some essentials were left out of the list. Essential lists are cut short with only rent, food, electricity and water being the utmost priority.
This may be unintentional. However, the need for marginalised essential items such as sanitary products must not go unheeded. They are equally essential, especially since they are used monthly.
Nisha Sabanayagam, Programme and Operation Manager for the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), addressed the importance of being gender sensitive in implementing response programmes.
Besides that, stigma and taboos surrounding the topic of menstruation limits discussions on the topic. In some cultures, this natural occurrence is deemed dirty. In some parts of Indonesia and Nepal, menstruating women were not allowed to sleep in family homes, hence resorted to sleeping in animal sheds.
The lack of awareness is evident as no official records of data related to period poverty in Malaysia is available anywhere. The first and only time it was brought up by the government was during the Budget 2022 announcement. It is only now that the Malaysia’s Women, Family and Community Development Ministry started digging into the matter.
Not just in Malaysia but in Southeast Asia in general, the topic did not get enough awareness.
The severity of the issue must be noted as period poverty is jeopardising women by keeping them in a poverty trap. It leads to a cycle where these families stay in poverty due to lack of education that may disrupt their work opportunities.
Nevertheless, big applause goes to NGOs which have worked hard to raise awareness and provide assistance. In collaboration with AWAM, Kotex Malaysia has donated 500 pads while The Lost Food Project (TLFP) together with P&G Malaysia aimed high to provide 179 thousand pads through their #LetItFlow campaign.
As for the government, taxation on menstruation products has been removed on June 1, 2018 after receiving a great demand by women across the country. Similarly, in Australia, India and Canada, taxes on menstruation products have been repealed.
Among others, demands were made towards the education ministry and the higher education ministry. They were urged to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education in schools that involves both girls and boys. It would be beneficial for girls to learn at a young age matters concerning menstrual hygiene. Involvements of boys would cut down the stigma surrounding the topic.
Hopefully it would result in a more open and healthy discussion on menstruation.
During the tabling of Budget 2022, Tengku Zafrul Aziz, the finance minister told the parliament that the government will provide monthly support of personal hygiene kits to 130 thousand low-income female teenagers. This is an effort to combat the issue of period poverty. Overall, under the Budget 2022, the government has allocated more than RM11 million to high risk women’s mammogram and cervical screenings
This is a great start for Malaysia in combating the issue. However, relevant data within the nation needs to be gathered as soon as possible to identify the root of the problem. Clear indicators of the situation helps shape better policies. Researchers can include the relationship of period poverty with education, social life and income gap.
Malaysia can also learn from other countries. In Britain, organisations were provided with two million pounds for efforts to stop period poverty globally. Scotland is one step ahead being the first country to have passed laws for free menstrual products. The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill states that schools, universities and local authorities must provide menstrual products for free to those in need.
This could be a goal for Malaysia, although we are several steps behind. It does make one wonder if this issue is going to be resolved soon. Will Malaysia be able to break the taboos and combat this issue entirely? Especially for the sake of women’s rights and dignity.***
(This article is written as part of individual assignment series for Feature Writing class)