Transforming adolescent menstrual health through policy: the role of value added tax exemptions in improving access to sanitary products.

In Namibia, the Value Added Tax (VAT) Amendment Act 2022, which reclassified the supply of sanitary pads as zero-rated, has significant implications for adolescent girls' menstrual health and education. The policy change responds to the need to address period poverty by making essential menstrual products more accessible and affordable. Menstruation is a normal biological process, and access to sanitary products is a human right. Taxing menstrual products reinforces gender inequalities and raises concerns about the basic rights and dignity of women and girls. The VAT-free policy creates a system to reduce the financial burden on girls and women, making it easier for them to manage their periods safely and with dignity. It has the potential to reduce absenteeism from school, ultimately improving educational outcomes for adolescent girls. However, VAT exemptions alone are insufficient to address the broader accessibility issues that impact menstrual hygiene. Evidence-based policies that focus on the availability and affordability of a full range of sanitary products, in conjunction with regulatory mechanisms for price and quality control, are necessary to ensure that menstrual products are safe, affordable, and accessible for all.

Missing school during period: perspectives of adolescent schoolgirls in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Introduction: adolescent in-schoolgirls often experience stigmatization, physical and psychological stress during their menstrual period that causes them to miss school. Menstruation-induced school absenteeism is preventable. The purpose of the study was to assess the factors associated with school absenteeism by both urban and rural school-going adolescent girls during their period. Methods: adolescent female students in Junior and Senior Secondary classes, who have attained menarche, participated in the study. A researcher designed, pretested and validated self-administered questionnaire, consisting of questions related to perception about menstruation and reasons for missing school during menstruation was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive data were presented using percentages, while the association between the variables of interest, were verified using Chi-Square test. Results: mean age of the girls was 14.4 (±1.8) years while mean age at menarche was 12.2 (±1.3) years. Although respondents identified several factors as responsible for school absenteeism, however, only fear of ridicule by other students (p ≤ 0.001) and unavailability of sanitary towels (p = 0.006) were significantly associated with missing school. Lack of sanitary towels was significantly associated with location (p = 0.012) and socio-economic status of mothers (0.006); while perception of menstruation as a disease was associated with feeling of tiredness and discomfort (p = 0.017). Conclusion: findings have shown that school absenteeism during menstruation is a serious problem among respondents capable of adversely affecting their academic performance. Access to sanitary towels and WASH facilities should be provided in schools to create an enabling environment to motivate school attendance by the adolescent girls.