Scotland's move to be first nation to make tampons and pads free gets full marks

Tekano Atlantic Fellowship Health Equity South Africa CEO Lebo Ramafoko says these are shifts we want to see in our government.

Tekano Atlantic Fellowship Health Equity South Africa CEO Lebo Ramafoko has welcome Scotland's move to be the first nation to make tampons and pads free for anyone in need after parliament unanimously passed the legislation Tuesday.

Forbes says under the [bill](https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/period-products-free-provision-scotland-bill "https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/period-products-free-provision-scotland-bill"), the Scottish government will create a nationwide programme to make the products accessible for people who need them; all schools, colleges and universities will be required to stock them in bathrooms; and government officials can order other public organisations to do the same.

The goal is to eliminate “period poverty” so people have access to necessary period products, according to Labour member Monica Lennon, who [introduced](https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/period-products-free-provision-scotland-bill "https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/period-products-free-provision-scotland-bill") the bill in April 2019.

Mandy Wiener speaks to Ramofoko for more on this and on the 6 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign.

having such a provision will make a huge difference to women in South Africa. And that is where you see a government that leads but also that does not need civil society but needs big business because even in the project in KwaZulu-Natal it was a parallel structure. It was government saying we want to produce our own pads. We have not yet had discussions with business to say how are we going to work with you to make sure that you supply sanitary towels free for women.
Lebo Ramafoko, CEO - Tekano Atlantic Fellowship Health Equity South Africa

We have been advocating for the tax on sanitary towels to be reviewed, let alone them being provided for free and the government of Scotland shows you what an effective pro-women, pro-gender, pro-feminism government can do. And those are the kind of shifts we want to see in our government.
Lebo Ramafoko, CEO - Tekano Atlantic Fellowship Health Equity South Africa

You laud countries like Scotland and say okay, put your decision-making, put your money where your mouth is because that is how we will then see that government is taking concrete actions that can basically have an amazing change in the lives of women.
Lebo Ramafoko, CEO - Tekano Atlantic Fellowship Health Equity South Africa

Listen below for the full interview...

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