It said this was commendable and a necessary step in tackling period poverty, reducing absenteeism among schoolgirls, and ensuring that no girl’s education was compromised due to a lack of menstrual hygiene products.
The CSOs gave the commendation in a statement signed by Ms Levlyn Konadu Asiedu, National Coordinator, Ghana CSOs Platform on SDGs, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
However, it said “While we celebrate this initiative and its positive impact on girls’ attendance to school, their academic performance decreases their risk of school dropout, teenage pregnancy, and sexual and gender-based violence.
We also note that a significant group of girls are likely to be left out. Girls in apprenticeship and girls who are out-of-school,” it added.
It called for an efficient strategy to rope in those groups to ensure inclusion, adding that proper toilets, water supply, and safe spaces for girls to manage their menstruation should be provided as the lack of it further exacerbated absenteeism and discomfort.
It said the need to establish safe and hygienic facilities, equipped with disposal bins, running water, and private changing areas, was therefore critical in fostering a supportive learning environment for menstruating girls.
It said despite the tax waivers on locally manufactured sanitary pads in 2024, market survey had revealed that Value Added Tax (VAT) was still charged sporadically and the prices were not competitive enough thus, young women and girls are yet to feel the full impact.
The statement said as Ghana worked towards achieving SGD 3,4,5 and 8 there was the need to establish a multi-year funding mechanism for maximum impact, improve implementation and monitoring mechanism of tax waivers on locally produced sanitary pads, collaborate with local manufacturers to supply the products across the country.
“Additionally, the platform strongly recommends that the government prioritizes the provision of gender-sensitive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities in basic schools to protect the privacy and dignity of girls,” it added.
It urged the government to act decisively to ensure that all girls, regardless of their economic background, could manage their menstruation with dignity and without barriers to education, health and other opportunities.
GNA
