Story

Introduction
Menstruation is a natural process that most girls will go through at some point in their
lives. It is disheartening that something as natural as a period can infringe on the
basic human rights of girls and women. The lack of menstrual hygiene products that
girls and women face contributes to both their disempowerment and health. For
young girls, menstruation is an addition to the heap of gender disparities they have
to face in life. The access to menstrual hygiene products is interlinked to other
human rights such as the right to education, the right to dignity and the right to good
health. In 2011, the President promised free sanitary pads as part of the 10 Point
Plan on Health and even made a point to mention this policy objective in his 2011
State of the Nation Address. This goes to show that even the President sees the
need. The proposal suggests that the government should intervene and provide
menstrual hygiene products in poor communities across South Africa; this shows
that this is an issue that needs to be attended.
Aim
There are complex and multiple factors that work against girls’ education in
developing countries; the lack of sanitary pads is one of the most leading factors in
many poor communities in South Africa. In recent times, there has been various
media reports showing that there is a crucial need for a policy that will ensure
menstrual hygiene products are available to those that cannot afford it. Many
education experts believe that there is a significant negative effect on schooling for
school girls in impoverished peri­urban and rural areas, although further research is
needed to investigate the full extent of the effects.
To state it bluntly, menstruation is not a burden for many girls and women, but also a
burden to society in general because of the health risks that girls and women are
exposed to by using things like rags, toilet paper and leaves instead of sanitary
products. Because menstruation is largely a private act, there are cultural and social
attitudes that make the discussion of menstruation almost impossible. Furthermore,
in the instances that it is discussed there is shame attached to it.