Appeal for sanitary pads to learners

Women constitute a greater part of Malawi’s population (about 51 percent).  Yet this gender suffers stereotypes that limit their space in the decision-making arena. 

The vice begins early in life, mostly in schools.  Due to their biological make-up, some girls miss out on school every month because of a natural phenomenon called “period”. 

The period does not just affect their education, but also forces the majority of girls to drop out of school. It also impacts on their health.  Girls are further affected by the stigma that is attached to periods because those around them often do not know much about menstruation.

What is most painful to both women and girls is that every month, they have to ensure that they have a budget to buy sanitary pads.  In Malawi, where almost half of the population lives below poverty line and 25 in every 100 people in extreme poverty, only a few girls and women can afford them. The foregoing is the cause of many withdrawals from schools and early marriages. 

In 2017, government removed taxes on sanitary pads to allow girls and women access them at reduced price.  This initiative served its purpose but several years down the line, the situation has turned against the women. 

The depreciation of the kwacha against major currencies and the recent 25 percent devaluation are some of the concerns. Furthermore, prices of most commodities have skyrocketed.

Against this background, it is a fact that many girls and women, particularly from rural areas, cannot afford to buy these sanitary pads. 

The challenges faced by menstruators in Malawi are plenty. This should not be the case that women and girls should be held back because of natural functions of their bodies.

There is, therefore, a countrywide call for government to intervene on the matter by coming up with a policy for the provision of free sanitary pads.  The Parliamentary Women’s Caucus (PWC), a grouping of all women legislators in the country, supports this movement.  Promotion of girl-child is one of the key thematic areas of PWC Strategic Plan for 2021-20266. The PWC is therefore calling upon the Minister of Finance to consider this request in his 2023/2024 budget.

Reasons for PWC support towards provision of free sanitary pads include:

(i)            To introduce quality menstrual hygiene for girls

(ii)           To make pads more accessible to girls

(iii)          To improve girl-child access to education;

(iv)          Already, there are non-governmental organisations in the country that are providing free sanitary pads. However, most of them do that in their thematic areas which is selective. Government is, therefore, expected to operationalise a universal programme and

(v)           To stop the use of unsanitary fabrics used when menstruating.

Examples of countries with free sanitary pads in Africa.

In Africa, the following countries provide free sanitary pads to their learners:

(i)            Kenya;

(ii)           Zambia;

(iii)          South Africa;

(iv)          Botswana.