PETALING JAYA: Women’s groups have lauded Perak’s Women Development, Family and Community Welfare Committee for its plan to introduce sanitary napkin vending machines to address the issue of period poverty in the state.
However, they said more efforts are needed to overcome the problem.
Bulan Sisters co-founder Iris Foo said it is a great way to start more conversations on period poverty.
“While giving free menstrual products is an excellent initiative, we must keep in mind that it is not a silver bullet solution, as period poverty encompasses not only a lack of access to products, but also access to washrooms, hygienic waste management and period education.”
Foo said for the B40 group, which struggles to put food on the table, purchasing menstrual hygiene products is seen as a luxury rather than a necessity.
“While our team has been actively raising funds for our distribution partners, we are also receiving requests for menstrual kits via social media. The sad reality is that there are still no official statistics on how many households in each state that are suffering from a lack of access to menstrual products.”
Over the weekend, a total of 200 young women received hygiene kit boxes under the Perak government’s “Pemberian Kit Asas Sanitasi Wanita Negeri Perak” programme.
Committee chairman Datuk Dr Wan Norashikin Wan Noordin said sanitary pad vending machines would be placed in recreational areas and schools.
Foo added that while the initiative should be considered for nationwide implementation, it is essential that it is not too product rollout-based.
She said it should focus on the core issue, which is challenging period stigma through education.
“Period poverty forces many low-income girls to skip school or work due to shame, which can even extend to skipping job interviews and social programmes.
“Financial burden causes many to resort to unhygienic methods of replacing period products, which may not only take an emotional toll but also cause infections. A nationwide implementation would allow women to have safer periods and feel confident and capable.”
Foo urged the government to work together with non-governmental organisations to create an on-the-ground data framework.
“The federal government promised a roll-out of period products in Budget 2022 for 130,000 low-income women, and we are looking forward to seeing how this will be implemented.”
Sarawak Women For Women Society president Margaret Bedus called the plan “a wonderful initiative” that should be extended to other areas.
“The expansion of this initiative will help many women in lower-income groups in urban and rural areas. It will help them financially, reducing the burden of having to spend on sanitary items.”
Bedus added that the government should consider providing a subsidy for the purchase of sanitary pads and educate women to use reusable sanitary pads, sanitary underwear or menstrual cups.
“It may be costly upfront, but these alternatives are better for the environment and more cost-efficient, considering the number of uses per item.”