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Geetha to alert Ranil about period poverty

15 Sep 2022

  • To submit report on issue to Prez
  • Confident of financial allocation
BY Buddhika Samaraweera   Newly appointed State Minister of Women’s and Children’s Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe is scheduled to inform President Ranil Wickremesinghe about the difficulties faced by females, especially schoolchildren, due to the massive increase in the price of sanitary napkins today (16), and is confident the President will provide a solution to this issue. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Kumarasinghe said that she was informed by several parties that schoolchildren do not attend school when they are menstruating, as they are unable to procure sanitary pads.  “I have spoken to the relevant officials and investigated this issue. This is a serious problem that should be addressed as soon as possible. Therefore, I am currently in the process of preparing a report, and I hope to hand it over to the President tomorrow. I know that he will do something to resolve this issue. He will somehow allocate some provisions so that we can arrange a programme to provide schoolchildren with sanitary napkins at a concessionary price, or free of charge,” she said. Noting that the Ministry of Education also has a responsibility with regard to the issue, Kumarasinghe said, however, that she would not forgo responsibility, and instead attempt her best to provide a solution to the issue at the earliest. She also said that Cabinet approval would be required for any programme to be implemented, noting therefore that the implementation of such would take some time. “We are no longer living in the 1960s or 1970s. In those times, there were no sanitary napkins and women adopted other alternatives. However, the situation has completely changed at present. The use of sanitary napkins has become more popular, and it is something that is very progressive. Therefore, we must ensure that women are able to purchase them at reasonable prices. In order to do so, the taxes on these kinds of commodities must be reduced or removed,” added Kumarasinghe. Speaking to The Morning on Wednesday (14), many parties, including politicians, trade unions, teachers, doctors, and parents noted that due to the massive increase in the cost of living this year and the significant increase in the price of sanitary napkins, many schoolgirls do not go to school on the days that they are menstruating, thus adversely affecting aspects such as their education, mental and physical health, and personality.  Noting that the prices of all items needed by schoolchildren such as stationery, school bags, and shoes have gone up, they queried the parents’ ability to purchase all these with their income, which has decreased in the prevailing economic crisis. They also emphasised that the Government should formulate a programme to address such issues and uplift the education sector, which has seen a great setback over the past few years.

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