Period poverty still a concern for girls
Stigma, access to water, financial situations to blame
A significant number of girls - 14.2% - miss at least one day of school due to the direct effects of menstruation. This according to a 2021 report by the health and education ministries. In the report, titled 'Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management' (MHHM), 1 119 girls between 10 and 19 from all over Namibia were interviewed to gauge their attitudes towards menstruation and pinpoint shortcomings that contribute to period poverty.According to the report, “the primary challenges learners experience in schools are access to adequate water and sanitation facilities, and access to hygiene products and services for washing of hands and the body where needed".
Some schools do not have access to clean and running water, it found. In the Kavango West Region, for example, 47 out of 176 (26.7%) schools had no water, while in Kavango East, this figure stands at 54 out of 164 (32.9%).
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Namibia representative Erika Goldson emphasised that menstrual health is a human rights issue. "The ability to care for one’s body while menstruating is essential to this fundamental freedom. Yet, hundreds of millions lack access to menstrual hygiene products and adequate facilities," she said.
Clean, running water is a necessity for menstrual hygiene as it is needed for physical hygiene, and to wash reusable pads. The report noted that insufficient cleaning can lead to various infections and health complications that put the health of girls at risk - and consequently their education. “A major barrier for many girls is the lack of access to sanitary pads, which directly affects their hygiene, dignity and ability to attend school regularly,” Khomas regional education director Paulus Nghikembua said.
Meanwhile, according to the report, another reason girls miss school is menstruation cramps, which makes it difficult for many to concentrate.
The lack of access to sanitary products also leads to leaks, which are ridiculed by peers. This further impacts girls' education.
Stigma
Attitudes towards menstruation play a big role in the socialisation of young girls. According to the MHHM report, 59% of girls think that menstruation is a private affair, while 71% wish they had someone to talk to about it.
Most information about menstruation reportedly comes from female family members and life skills teachers.
Windhoek Technical High School’s life skills teacher Irene Nel explained that social attitudes make it difficult to talk to learners about these issues. “Learners don’t always take it seriously. Sometimes they laugh or are too afraid to ask questions.”
'Tampon Tax' still exists
As of 1 January 2023, value-added tax (VAT) has been removed from menstrual hygiene products after a motion set in place by Emma Theofelus, then the deputy minister of information, communication and technology. This is an important step in reducing the financial burden on women and girls.
However, only menstrual pads were exempted from VAT - notably, tampons and menstrual cups still have VAT added to their price. This motion by Theofelus had the intention of removing the so-called 'tampon tax', yet the finance ministry deemed tampons, cups and most other menstrual hygiene products a 'luxury' after consulting with retailers on the issue, according to spokesperson Wilson Shikoto.
According to the MHHM report, most girls used disposable pads - 98% - even if this was not their preferred product. One reason for not using a more preferable product like tampons was because of affordability. Labelling these products as 'luxuries' has reduced the choices available to girls during menstruation and falls short of lessening the financial impact.
To afford sanitation products, many girls resort to dating older men. “There are situations where girls are having relationships with adult men so that they can have money to buy soap, toothpaste or pads,” Hildegard Titus, founder of Power Pad Girls, was quoted as saying in The Namibian.
Donations
In a gesture of support for the health of Namibian girls, Nangula Kauluma, CEO of FNB Namibia's retail banking division, has donated N$100 000 to the purchase of 5 002 packs of sanitary pads. The donation was presented to the education ministry in an effort to combat period poverty among learners.
But while admirable, relying on the donations of private companies is not a sustainable model, said Innocentia Mukubi, Miss Teen Universe Namibia who has advocated for increased access to menstrual hygiene products.
She has urged for an increase in the education ministry's budget to specifically allocate money for menstrual sanitation products that can be offered for free to girls in public schools.
This model has been introduced in other countries such as parts of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and has offered increased support and security for girls when it comes to their personal hygiene, she said.