Some schools think it is so important that free sanitary towels and tampons are available that they have not waited for the cabinet. For example, since the beginning of this year, students of the Porteum comprehensive school in Lelystad have been able to use the 21 dispensers in the school that contain sanitary napkins or tampons. “It is a great success. It is used a lot, also by girls who have no other choice due to money problems,” says Rhody Matthijs on behalf of the school.
Relatively high poverty
“We know from research that one in ten girls sometimes has no money for menstrual products. We don’t have exact figures on how things are at our school, but we know that the problem also occurs here,” Matthijs continues. “Of course we will not solve poverty with this, but we can give our students a helping hand. We are in a region where there is a lot of poverty.”
Second grader Luna and her friends are happy with it. The students themselves also know stories of girls who cannot always buy tampons or sanitary towels. “Then they don’t have enough money for a while. The result? Then they walk around with toilet paper or use other unhygienic materials. You shouldn’t want that.”
Minister Carola Schouten (poverty policy) also sees the importance. She is going to tackle menstrual poverty nationwide and therefore wants many more of these types of collection points. A majority of the House of Representatives indicated – after a motion from D66 – in December that menstrual products would become free for people with a low income.
Poverty fund is going to work
Over the next two years, the Poverty Fund will work to realize a total of 2500 dispensing points for menstrual articles. There are already 1500. “Our aim is that each municipality will soon have at least one distribution point,” says Henk de Graaf, director of the Poverty Fund.
The points come to social organizations, such as community centers, clothing banks, but also in libraries. “And we will achieve 600 to 700 points in schools, especially secondary schools. Because we see that there is a lot of demand from the schools. There is also a lot of poverty among young people due to inflation.”
Ten percent of women living in poverty sometimes have too little money to buy tampons or sanitary towels, says De Graaf. “Even though tampons only cost a few euros, if you have to live on 40 euros a week, sometimes you just can’t afford it. We are already helping a small 200,000 girls and women. These items are basic products that you need to take with you. do in society. We don’t want anyone to be excluded.”
Charlotte Durand from Egmond aan de Hoef knows what it’s like not always having money for menstrual items. She just doesn’t always manage to buy tampons every month. “You could say it’s only a few euros, but I’m chronically ill and also have many other costs. Together with my husband I live on 60 euros a week. Then you have to think about everything you put in your shopping bag. “
Washable sanitary napkin
She wants to get ahead of the problem, so she regularly goes to the clothing bank where she can get free sanitary pads or tampons. “I also have washable sanitary pads, bought on AliExpress.”
She will be happy if there will be many more distribution points in the future. “So that all women and girls can always have these much-needed things, even if you don’t manage to buy them yourself.”
Extra money for food aid and child poverty
The cabinet is not only tackling menstrual poverty, but will also provide a 16 million euro subsidy to the Food Safety Net Foundation for the purchase of food and other items such as clothing, school supplies and personal care products. The money is also used to finance activities and campaigns that combat child poverty.
