Under the ‘Menstrual Products Act’, which took effect today in Scotland, institutions and education providers in Scotland will have to ensure that everyone in need has free menstrual products.
Although there is a law in Scotland that requires feminine hygiene products to be offered free of charge in schools and universities, the new law adopted in 2020 aims to completely eliminate ‘menstrual poverty’ and ensure that it is accessible to all.
Scottish Minister of Social Justice, Shona Robison, said providing access to menstrual products was “a foundation for equality and dignity, and financial barriers to accessing these products have been removed”.
Robison said, “This is more important than ever at a time when people are making difficult choices due to the rising cost of living, and we don’t want anyone in a position to have access to menstrual products. Since 2018, we’ve taken groundbreaking action by providing students with free semester products at all of our schools, colleges and universities. We are proud to be the first government in the world to take such an action,” he continued.
Free menstrual products were made available to all UK primary and secondary schools in early 2020. However, no such decision was taken across the country.
* The image of the news was served from Unsplash.