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- As 28 May approaches, we need to focus on the availability of good menstrual hygiene
- In South Africa, 30% of girls miss school while they're having their period
- Sanitary dignity will help girls to focus on their future and unlock their potential
In May last year the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), passed the first reusable sanitary standard: The manufacturer of Washable, Reusable Sanitary Towels (SANS 1812), making the publication of this standard one of the first for washable sanitary pads in Southern Africa.
The news was welcomed by government, NGOs, support groups and the private sector as an important step in a country where 30% of girls miss school each year when they are having their period.
Menstrual Hygiene Day, commemorated on 28 May every year, is a day that brings together the voices and actions of different sectors of the population to advocate for good menstrual hygiene management for women and girls and reliable access to sanitary products.
As this day approaches, we need to ask ourselves if we're doing enough in our country to prioritise menstrual health and the education of our future female leaders – and if we're levelling the playing field when it comes to protecting and restoring the dignity of girls in South Africa.
Commitment by government
We have seen several commitments made by government over the years with the aim of restoring the dignity of the girl child and creating an opportunity for girls to focus on their future and unlock their potential.
These commitments include President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promise in 2018 to make menstrual health a priority by allocating R157m of the fiscal budget to menstrual hygiene education; the provision of sanitary pads for learners; and the announcement in 2019 that sanitary pads would be zero-VAT rated.
Furthermore, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) allocated a stipend per month to nearly 800 000 students for personal hygiene care and sanitary products, praised and hailed as a victory for women’s rights in South Africa – as young women make up 56% of the beneficiaries of the NSFAS Programme.
These efforts are commendable, but are they enough? While there is definitely a concerted effort being made for female equality, the responsibility to bring an end to period poverty and ensure our girl children are treated with dignity does not solely lie with government.
An ongoing effort
Around the world, women are excluded from everyday physical spaces, forced into solitary confinement, and banned from cooking or touching food when they are menstruating. Some women even go as far as referring to their period by code names out of fear of discrimination.
Various advocacy groups, NGO’s, individuals, and the private sector recognise the urgent need for progress in providing access to sanitary products to young women, especially in the previously disadvantaged and rural areas of South Africa in an attempt to eradicate the stigmatisation and misconceptions that exist around menstruation.
We need to recognise that this is not a once-off investment, but one that will require an ongoing sustainable effort by all parties. We need to provide sanitary products to menstruating girls in the hope that this will improve their access to education.
Private sector advocacy
I have recently seen advancements initiated by private organisations and individuals. One example – led by O Graceland (OGL) and the MENstruation Foundation – is a first of its kind sanitary pad vending machine launched at the School of Hope in Observatory in Cape Town with the aim of giving sustainable free access to sanitary pads to girls.
It is such initiatives, led by government, advocacy groups, the private sector and individuals that give me hope for the future of girls in South Africa – enabling sanitary dignity that will help girls to focus on their future and unlock their potential.
These advancements can help address barriers to education and health and empower the next generation as female economic empowerment starts with creating a world where women have control over their own time, lives, and bodies.
*Sibonile Dube is Head Of Communications & Patient Advocacy at Novartis
