The Executive Director of AfriTechHub, a women and girl-child empowerment group, Dr Arnold Mashud, has joined the clarion call for the government to abolish all forms of taxes on menstrual hygiene products in the country.
“We’re calling on all stakeholders especially MPs and the government to ensure that they takeout all taxes that are imposed on sanitary pads” he urged.
Several nongovernmental and civil society organizations in commemoration of this year’s World Hygiene Day on May 28, have intensified their voices for the government to scrap the 20 percent luxury tax as well as the 15 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary pads.
According to him, the taxes imposed on sanitary products makes the commodity very expensive and it is gradually becoming a luxurious product.
Dr Arnold Mashud made the remarks on Tuesday (May 30, 2023) when his outfit in collaboration with Hyperlinks distributed sanitary pads to over five hundred (500) school children at the Gbanyamni Methodist primary and Junior High School, Jana Junior High School and Kanvili Nuria primary school.
He noted the beneficiary schools were selected based on needs assessment conducted and intimated the products will enable the teenagers to maintain their personal hygiene during mensuration.
He stressed the very critical component of the exercise is to educate the children and raised awareness on menstrual hygiene among the students.
“One of us educated the children on how to keep themselves very healthy and the health aspect of the mensuration cycle and these are some of the activities we want to do on a regular basis so that together we can remind the girls to very hygienic within the period of mensuration” he emphasized.
Dr Mashud further disclosed the AfriTechHub is introducing the ‘Red Comfort Initiative’ to intensify menstrual hygiene education amongst teenage girls in the society.
Meanwhile, Headmaster of Gbanyamni Methodist JHS, Mr. Suale Iddrisu Alidu, said the items will ameliorate the suffering of the girls and commended the organization for the donation.
“I wish to call on government and similar organizations with the core mandate of addressing gender-based issues to come to the aid of the children especially donating not only sanitary pads but items that can enhance girl-child education” he appealed.
He lamented menstrual poverty is major bottleneck undermining the education of these underprivileged girls who always struggle to afford the cost a pad to enhance their personal hygiene during mensuration.
