Adolescents urge gov’t to consider free sanitary pads under Free SHS

Some adolescent girls at Idan, a community in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region are advocating for free sanitary pads to be considered under the government’s flagship Free Senior High School programme.

According to them, even though menstruation is a normal physiological process, it has affected their self-esteem and education as they are forced to stay home sometimes due to their inability to find the money for sanitary towels while menstruating.

Speaking to JoyNews, 18-year-old Hannah Turkson said it was common to miss school a few days in the month due to a lack of sanitary towels while in her period.

“When I was in JHS, it was common to see most of us not attending school during our period. The reason was not only cramps. Most of my mates were practising free bleeding, which involves not using any menstrual products and allowing menstrual blood to flow freely. How can you go to school in such a situation?”she quizzed.

19-year-old Sarah Arthur said although she was aware of the negative health implications of using toilet rolls in place of sanitary towels, she had no option but to fall on them or rags since her parents could not afford the sanitary towel.

“As a form three SHS student, I know the effect of using unhygienic alternatives, but in our community where parents barely make ends meet, coupled with the cost of sanitary pads, the only alternative is to try and improvise with discarded pieces of clothing which are uncomfortable,”she said.

Another 17-year-old student [Unnamed] in the IDAN community, was worried about her classmates who dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy. These young mothers are now facing financial constraints as single parents.

“I am privileged because my parents buy sanitary pads for when I am home and give me enough money to buy some when in school. I am worried for some of my mates who are single mothers and are not able to take care of their children not to talk about buying sanitary pads every month,”she said.

As part of efforts to draw attention to this issue, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) collaborated with the “Power to Choose” project on World Menstrual Hygiene Day this year, to educate adolescents about hygienic menstruation and distribute free sanitary products to some girls.

Peer Educator at PPAG, Benedicta Frempong, said they observed during their education sessions that many girls lacked proper knowledge of menstrual hygiene and often resorted to using toilet paper and other unsuitable products.

“Most of the vulnerable girls and women are using cloth rags which they line with plastic sheets and toilet rolls when menstruating because they cannot afford disposable sanitary towels. I have also used alternatives like Toilet rolls before, and I can tell you it is very common here.”

The Peer Educator said although PPAG supports with pads occasionally, it wasn’t enough to meet the recurring needs of the girls.

She appealed to the government to remove taxes on sanitary products which impacts the cost, to make them more accessible and affordable for all girls.

“I would be glad if those in authority did something about the price of the pad, the prices range between GH₵12 to GH₵29. You would be shocked that most of the girls do not go to school especially during their period because of the price,”she said.

Project Coordinator for the “Power to Choose” project, Rejoice Kwawukumey, said most of the girls indicated they would choose sanitary pads over snacks if given the option, highlighting the severity of period poverty in the community.