We spent years tackling period poverty, PKR activist counters Nurulhidayah

 

After spending some time working with women affected by period poverty, social activist Napsiah Khamis said she is baffled by Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid’s claim that period poverty is not an issue in Malaysia.

Napsiah is a PKR women’s wing exco member and chairperson of the charity Bidadari. She said both organisations have spent nearly two years tackling the issue through the Hearts Charity initiative.

Through her work, Napsiah (above) said, she encountered stories such as homeless women who resorted to using toilet paper in lieu of sanitary pads, or pieces of cloth recovered from garbage bins.

“Some women in hardship use stockings during menstruation. Some women go back 20 years and use batik cloth or old clothes during menstruation to reduce costs.

“Teenage girls have missed school for the lack of menstrual pads, and some women in hardship don’t change their pads all day to save costs.

“How could (Nurulhidayah) still say period poverty is not an issue in this country?

“Is she equating her luxurious lifestyle with other women? Is poverty a laughing matter?” Napsiah asked in a statement yesterday.

She condemned Nurulhidayah's remarks and urged the government to take period poverty seriously and seek solutions.

The issue arose after the government proposed to provide free personal hygiene kits every month to about 130,000 teenage girls from B40 families, as part of Budget 2022.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said it is estimated that 130,000 teenage girls from B40 families don’t have access to female hygiene products such as menstrual pads due to financial constraints.

Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid

Nurulhidayah, however, ridiculed a news report on the issue and the notion that some women were reportedly getting pregnant to avoid menstruation for nine months, due to the cost of menstrual pads.

“I am aware of it (pregnancy to avoid periods). But not in Malaysia. Where are the high menstrual pad prices? I do research on pads, and I launched a menstrual pad brand so I know,” she said.

Nurulhidayah also claimed that period poverty in Malaysia is not as serious as in other countries like India due to assistance from NGOs and zakat centres, but giving free pads is not a viable long-term solution.

“Give people education. Give capital for trade. Teach until (they become) smart.

“It is not that I don’t agree with the distribution of free pads. But until when?

“What happens to those women when the government changes again? A different government means different policies. The problem will never end,” she said. - Mkini