Sanitary pads France: The government of France on Tuesday announced that it will make period products free for students as it joined that global drive to end period poverty.
Period poverty is the inability of menstruating persons to pay for the products required for maintaining menstrual hygiene. Frederique Vidal, the Higher Education Minister of France, said that students residences will now have machines that will contain period products such as sanitary napkins. The health services in universities will also have them in the next few weeks.
Vidal said that the government of France aims to make period products " completely free of charge" for everyone by the time the next academic year starts in September.
France follows Scotland which became the first nation in the world to make period products free for everyone. This initiated new conservation on the need to end period poverty in the world. England on the other hand provides free sanitary products to primary and secondary school students, New Zealand too joined in last week.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron had earlier promised to address the issue of homeless women devoid of period protection. He said, "the fact of having your period in the streets and to not be able to buy something protect yourself and preserve dignity adds to humiliation."
Due to the pandemic, many students have lost their part-time jobs and are flocking at the food banks. Students have talked about finding it difficult to make ends meet because of the crisis induced by COVID-19.
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