As Ghana joined the world to celebrate International Menstrual Hygiene Day, which falls on the 28th of May every year, Safe Menstruation Movement, a non-governmental organization based in the Upper East Region, is calling on the New Patriotic Party government to fulfil its 2020 manifesto promise by scrapping 20% Luxury Tax on sanitary products.
Menstrual hygiene day is an occasion for publicizing information in the media; including social media, which can help engage decision-makers in policy dialogues.
It is also a day to provide an opportunity to actively advocate the integration of menstrual hygiene management into global, national and local policies and programs.
This year’s menstrual hygiene day is under the theme, “making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030”.
But SAMMO believes little has been done in Ghana to help women and girls to have a sustainable menstrual health and hygiene education. This would have helped ensure that by 2030, every woman or girl would have basic knowledge about menstruation and would be able to afford sanitary pads.
On Saturday 22nd, August, 2020, at Cape Coast in the Central Region whiles giving highlights of the NPP’s manifesto the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said the New Patriotic Party Government intends to scrap the 20 percent luxury tax on imported sanitary pads if its mandate is extended by Ghanaians during the December polls.
According to Dr. Bawumia, scrapping the levy will reduce the cost of imported sanitary pads in the Country.
“We will eliminate import duties on sanitary pads to improve health conditions, particularly for girls. It is very important. What we intend doing is to make sure we produce sanitary pads in Ghana until that happens in their numbers, we are going to eliminate import duties to bring down their cost,” he said.
In lieu of this, the Safe Menstruation Movement in a press statement to climax the Menstrual Hygiene Day stated that, since menstruation is natural for every female there is a need to ensure that menstrual hygiene is common for every female in the country as was promised by the NPP government.
“To create a world where menstruation is just a normal fact of life, we need more action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene (MHM) education so that by 2030 every woman or girl would have basic knowledge about menstruation and should be able to afford sanitary pads.”
“As we mark this year’s menstrual hygiene day under the theme: making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030. We wish to call on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to fulfil its 2020 manifesto promise of scrapping off the 20% Luxury Tax on sanitary products and creating an enabling environment for companies to manufacture sanitary pads locally.”
“SAMMO also urges the government through Ghana Education Service to provide facilities which are gender-friendly and changing rooms in various schools,” the statement read.
The NGO also called on parents to show much interest in their adolescent girl’s menstrual health and support them with menstrual hygiene education and sanitary pads.
Source:A1Radioonline.Com|10.1MHZ|David Azure| Bolgatanga|
