Ecuador prepares a law of free access to feminine hygiene products

25 percent of Ecuadorian women stopped using menstrual management products due to lack of money during the pandemic

MADRID, 23 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Commission on the Right to Health of the National Assembly of Ecuador is finalizing the text of the Menstrual Health and Hygiene Law that could include a "menstrual permit" for disability and free access to feminine hygiene products.

The Commission has cited groups of women and experts in the field who have defended the need for these measures for girls and menstruating women due to the risk of collateral diseases and discomfort, according to the Ecuadorian newspaper 'El Universo'.

They have also defended the promotion of menstrual education in all educational institutions and that it be extended to families, particularly in rural areas. They have also mentioned access to water as an urgent need to ensure a "dignified menstruation".

According to a U-Report survey with 3,600 interviews with adolescents and young people from 23 Ecuadorian provinces, 25 percent said they stopped using menstrual management products due to lack of money due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and 27 percent say that despite feeling pain from their menstrual period, they were unable to purchase medication.

92 percent consider free menstrual hygiene products important and are in favor of educational institutions and health centers providing free towels, tampons and other items for menstrual management.

The survey has also revealed that 44 percent of the population do not have access to toilet paper in the bathrooms of their educational institutions, while 58 percent mention that their school does not have adequate facilities to change in a safe and private environment. and that they also do not have a suitable place to dispose of used supplies or to sanitize reusable supplies.

Thus, 31 percent of those surveyed have missed class because of menstruation, mainly due to pain (37 percent) and fear of staining clothes (31 percent). More than half (55 percent) say that they have not received specific classes or workshops on this subject at their school.