Some young women and girls in the Upper West Region have intensified the demand for the government to scrap taxes on sanitary products in the country to make them affordable.
They contended that sanitary products were essential in menstrual hygiene management but the “nuisance taxes” on them had made the price exorbitant, pushing some young women and girls to unhygienic ways of managing their menstrual periods.
This was in a petition a group of young women and girls called “She Leads Advocates”, presented to the Wa Central Constituency Member of Parliament (MP), Dr. Hassan Rashid Pelpuo, in Wa during a “Girls Meet Up With Mentors” session.
“Table concerns of young people (thus removal of 20 per cent import duty and 15 per cent import VAT on sanitary products) on the floor of parliament for consideration by the house.
We are also calling on you to support the She Leads Advocate and Department of Gender-Wa to set up a Sanitary Pad Bank for the Wa Methodist School for the Blind to aid girls have access to sanitary pads during their menstruation”, the petition said.
The campaign by the group for the reduction of the cost of sanitary products was part of the implementation of the “She Leads” project by the Community Aid for Rural Development (CARD) Ghana in the Upper West Region in partnership with Plan International Ghana.
Presenting the petition, Ms Alice Sienso, a member of the group, said the exorbitant prices of the sanitary products were forcing many young women and girls to trade sex for sanitary pads.
A pack of sanitary pads currently ranged from GH₵17 to GH₵35 in the region making it difficult for some families to afford for their girls.
“Most vulnerable girls heavily affected by this in the region, either rely on philanthropic donations from organizations or other benevolent individuals to enable them manage their menstrual flow every month.
Some girls continually stay off school during menstruation due to their inability to handle their periods well”, parts of the petition read.
The petition, signed by over 60 young people including men, said the situation had exposed the girls, especially those in school to teenage pregnancy, health emergencies and ultimately school dropout.
Madam Khalida M. A. Seidu, the Upper West Regional Deputy Women’s Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who was a mentor at the session, said the call for tax exemption of taxes on sanitary products was important.
She explained that relying on benevolence for sanitary products was not sustainable and could not meet the demands of the many vulnerable girls who needed the pads to stay in school.
Receiving the petition on behalf of the MP, Mr Issahaku Nuhu Putiaha, a former Wa Municipal Chief Executive, said the MP shared the plight of the girls and would work within his powers to meet their demands.
GNA
GRB
June 15,2023
Photo caption: Members of the advocacy group with Mr Putiaha and Madam Khalida
