ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA SHOULD SIGN AN ACT TO EFFECT INTO A LAW ON GIVE GIRLS IN RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS FREE SANITARY PADS

In many rural public schools, there are no supportive facilities like hygienic toilets and privacy where girls can help themselves during their menstrual periods. Imagine having toilets which have no doors where anyone could peek in at any moment, due to these challenges girls are forced to make a decision of skipping school, they prefer to stay home than to face the embarrassment in front of their peers, many of them are unable to speak out their problems because of the taboos, this taboo need to end with proper education, but first, free sanitary pads need to be provided, so that no one has to miss school because of their period. If we do not set up the systems in place that allow provision of free sanitary pads to girls in rural public schools, we risk increase in girls dropping out from schools. However if we do get this to happen, we will allow all girls to confidently attend school without having to worry about the embarrassment of their period letting them down. They will focus on their studies and reduce the number of school dropout. The provision of free pads to girls in rural public schools should go in hand with building proper infrastructures ie. toilets, pit latrine, water systems etc. Since 2019, the Zambian parliament has unanimously adopted a motion for the free distribution of sanitary pads in rural schools, although the motion is not law, it means the government must provide funds for the distribution of sanitary pads in the 2020 budget. The move comes after Maboshe Memorial Centre – MMC carried out a survey study on PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT (MHM) AND SANITATION FOR SCHOOL GOING GIRLS IN RURAL SCHOOLS in 2019 observed that most menstrual products are expensive and pupils in rural areas cannot afford to buy them. The survey study urged the Ministry of Finance to consider removing customs duty and value-added tax on menstrual products and questioned why poor female students are not entitled to free sanitary pads when condoms are distributed free of charge. The survey study also urged the Ministry of Finance to consider national budgets allocation for the distribution of more than 14,000 sanitary towels in rural schools, which government had not yet released the money”. Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema should sign an Act to effect into a law on give girls in rural public schools free sanitary pads. The Act should state that every girl registered at a rural public school should be given “free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels” as well as “a safe and environmental sound mechanism for disposal”. The motion comes after Zambian parliament scrapped taxes on sanitary products in a bid to make them more affordable. Zambia’s government has decided to provide sanitary pads to girls enrolled in rural public schools, to encourage more students to come to class. The provision of sanitary towels to school girls is essential to upholding their inherent right to human dignity respected and protected. Issued by the Maboshe Memorial Centre - MMC Cell #: +260979997382, +260975077808 and +260954655071 Email: mmcoffice8@gmail.com or mmcmonguheadoffice@ymail.com Website: - https://mmc695.webnode.com/ Facebook page: - http://www.facebook.com/maboshememorialc Twitter: -https://twitter.com/mmc_office Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11503066/admin/