The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has confirmed that every school in New Zealand will have free products available for female students from June.
Principals and poverty groups have been calling for the move for years, saying that poverty for a period meant that some girls had to go to school during their periods because they could not afford the sanitary products to manage it hygienically.
Principals in disadvantaged parts of the country also reported that students use newspaper, toilet paper and telephone books to manage their menstruation.
“Young people should not miss out on their education because of something that is a normal part of life for half the population,” Ardern said Tuesday as he announced the launch, launching a pilot program in some high-need schools last year follow.
“Offering free periods at school is one way the government can address poverty directly, help increase school attendance and have a positive impact on children’s well-being,” she said.
The prime minister told Fairfield College in Hamilton that students across the country had told her that products of the time should be available to anyone who needs them, when they need them.
Jan Tinetti, Minister for Women and Co-Minister for Education, said the pilot program identified a myriad of problems with managing periods in school environments, including embarrassment, stigma, missing classes, being “caught out” without products, costs, lack of knowledge on how to use products and discomfort.
“Feedback from the pilot noted that the choice was important, both in types of products and in the way it is sourced,” Tinetti said.
‘Students also said they want information about periods, products and other practical elements of managing their period, such as locating and knowing when and to whom to ask for help.’
According to Dignity NZ, a non-governmental organization working for the end of the poverty period, 95,000 nine- to 18-year-olds may stay at home during their periods because they cannot afford sanitary products.
Miranda Hitchings, co-founder of Dignity, said: ‘This is a fantastic investment from our government. However, this is just the beginning. Period poverty does not only affect students. It is a part of poverty, and many other groups, such as those experiencing homelessness and loss of income, feel the effects of a lack of access to products deeply. “
Findings from the Youth19 Survey found that 12% of students aged 9 to 13 who menstruate had difficulty accessing sanitary products, while about one in 12 students skipped school because they did not have could not afford.
The University of Otago has found that girls experiencing periodic poverty have lifelong implications “for their health, emotional development, education and career prospects”.
The Labor Coalition Government aims to halve child poverty within a decade, and Ardern said that while the task has been made more complicated by the implications of Covid-19, it is important to invest in programs that a ” immediate difference “in life. of backward girls across the country.