From September, menstrual products will be available for free in schools and health centers across the country.
This measure was announced by the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balcero Lopez, at the conclusion of the Council of Ministers held in Braga, but all the conditions of the proposal are not yet known. Luis Montenegro’s executive body met to approve a set of measures to support Portuguese youth.
The discussion about period poverty is not happening now. In 2021, the #TodasMerecemos project, affiliated with the Corações com Coroa association, raised awareness of period poverty in Portugal. The project even coined A Open letter They requested the distribution of menstrual hygiene products. “For those who menstruate, this is not a luxury good. It is a necessity and we need to start looking at this need, because it is also a gender equality issue,” independent MP Cristina Rodriguez at the time told P3, who is now Chiga’s MP.
In 2022, the proposal put forward by Lever’s deputy, Rui Tavares, to reduce the VAT rate on menstrual hygiene products, such as menstrual underwear or washable sanitary pads, was approved. Sanitary pads and tampons are already taxed at 6%, but because they are gauze products for sanitary or surgical use.
This year, the Almada City Council distributed them groups Menstrual hygiene by schools in the municipality and this procedure already exists in other countries and for the entire population. In 2020, Scotland became the first country to make these products free. “Why is toilet paper in 2020 seen as a necessity, while feminine products are not? Imposing a financial penalty on a normal bodily function is not fair,” MP Alison Johnston asked at the time.
in FranceFrom 2024 onwards, spending on reusable menstrual products will no longer be a concern for people under 25. In Ireland in 2021, Lidl became the first major supermarket chain to offer menstrual products in all stores across the country. In New Zealand, as of September in Portugal, menstrual products are free for the student community.
