By Solomon Gumah
Kumbungu (N/R), Sept 12, GNA – Government has been called upon to completely remove taxes on menstrual products to make them affordable and accessible to girls and women across the country.
Hajia Hikmat Baba Dua, Executive Director, Female Empowerment and Advocacy for Development (FEAD-Ghana), who made the call, said sanitary pads were not luxury items but basic necessities and therefore, should be made affordable to enable every girl and woman to manage menstruation with dignity.
She also appealed to the government to support local industries and companies producing eco-friendly and reusable sanitary products saying such support would create employment opportunities for young people and women while helping to reduce plastic waste.
Hajia Baba Dua made the call while addressing a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Substance Abuse Symposium, held at Kumbungu in the Northern Region.
The symposium, organised by FEAD-Ghana under the Litlead+ project with funding support from the KGL Foundation, was held on the theme: “Informed Choices, Healthy Futures: Navigating Reproductive Health and Substance Abuse”.
The symposium featured key presentations from the National Narcotics Control Commission, and the AIDS Commission.
It brought together some stakeholders including selected adolescent girls and boys from basic and senior high schools in the district
Hajia Dua said FEAD-Ghana had, over the years, distributed sanitary pads and provided menstrual hygiene education to thousands of girls in basic and senior high schools in the region as part of efforts to combat period poverty.
She said “we commend the government for the recent initiative to provide sanitary supplies to girls in secondary schools. This is a laudable step, and we applaud it” but stressed that more needed to be done to ensure period dignity for all.
She said access to accurate and age-appropriate information was critical to enabling adolescents to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and future.
She said misinformation about puberty, menstruation, relationships and sexual and reproductive health particularly through social media and peers, could contribute to fear, stigma, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STI) and school dropout.
She expressed concern about the growing challenge of substance abuse among young people including the misuse of tramadol, marijuana and alcohol, which could undermine their ability to make responsible decisions and expose them to risky sexual behaviours.
Miss Fatimata Yakubu, Founder and Executive Director, Seed Impact Foundation, who chaired the symposium, said the event came at an important time when young people had access to abundant information but not all information was accurate, appropriate or safe.
She said discussions on teenage pregnancy, sexuality, STIs, contraception and substance use should go beyond giving young people instructions and instead address knowledge gaps, peer influence, relationships, access to health services, parental communication, mentorship and trusted support systems.
She urged young people to question information before accepting it, resist negative peer pressure, ask questions about their health, and seek guidance from trusted persons when faced with difficult situations.
She also appealed to parents, teachers and community leaders to create supportive environments where young people could ask questions and seek guidance without fear of condemnation while urging health professionals to provide respectful, confidential and youth-responsive services.
Madam Hikimatu Sulemana, Tutor, Tamale Community Health College sensitized participants on sexual and reproductive health and urged them to be serious about their education to become healthy and responsible adults.
GNA
Edited by Albert Futukpor /Kenneth Odeng Adade
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