Period poverty: Selangor to be the first state to provide free sanitary pads
LILYANA RIZAL02 Dec 2022 10:04am
BUKIT MELAWATI ASSEMBLYMAN
JUWAIRIYA. - FOTO ROSLI TALIB
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SHAH ALAM - Selangor will be the first state in Malaysia to provide free sanitary pads
Bukit Melawati assemblyman Juwairiya Zulkifli said this will help combat period poverty, which is not a new issue but one that is rarely discussed due to the stigma surrounding the ‘taboo’ topic
According to her, the groups that are most affected by period poverty include women in rural areas, the urban poor and the extremely poor. This long-standing issue of period poverty also affects students
“The lack of pads can disrupt their movements in school and affect their focus in classrooms. In the end, these students might choose to not attend school while on their period, which contributes to students dropping out from school,” she said during the state’s 2023 budget debate.
It has been reported that women can use between 14 and 20 pads throughout the week of their period. Households with more than one woman can require about 60 sanitary napkins per month, the cost of which can breach RM51.
The state of Selangor will be following in the footsteps of countries such as New Zealand and Scotland which have begun to provide free pads for their citizens as well. The Selangor 2023 state budget was tabled last Friday (Nov 25) with an allocation of RM2.45 billion.
