Scotland has become the first country to allow free and universal access to menstrual products, including tampons and pads, in public facilities, a landmark victory for the global movement against period poverty.

The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favor of the Period Products bill Tuesday, months after lawmakers had initially signaled their support. It means period products will be available in public buildings including schools and universities across Scotland. According to the new rules, it will be up to local authorities and education providers to ensure the products are available free of charge.

“The campaign has been backed by a wide coalition, including trades unions, women’s organizations and charities,” Monica Lennon, the lawmaker who introduced the bill last year, said ahead of the vote.

After the vote, Lennon said the decision was “a signal to the world that free universal access to period products can be achieved.”

The bill’s accompanying financial memorandum estimates it could cost around ￡8.7 million (US$11.57m) a year by 2022, depending on the number of women who will take advantage of the free products.

“Proud to vote for this groundbreaking legislation, making Scotland the first country in the world to provide free period products for all who need them,” Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on her official Twitter page after the vote. One in 10 girls in the United Kingdom cannot afford period products, according to a 2017 survey from Plan International U.K. The survey also found that nearly half of all girls aged 14 to 21 are embarrassed by their periods, while about half had missed an entire day of school because of them.

Scotland’s move follows a string of recent attempts to tackle period poverty in the country. In 2018, the government announced that students in schools, colleges and universities across the countries would be able to access sanitary products for free, through a ￡5.2 million investment. In 2019, it allocated another ￡4 million to make period products available for free in libraries and recreational centers.

England last year also launched an initiative to provide free sanitary products in schools, and New Zealand did the same earlier this year.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【无异议地】wú yìyì de unanimously in a way that is agreed or supported by everyone in a group

【备忘录】bèiwànglù memorandum an informal legal agreement

苏格兰成为世界首个在公共设施免费向所有人供应卫生棉条和卫生护垫等经期卫生用品的地区，这是全球对抗月经贫困运动的一次里程碑式的胜利。

上周二，苏格兰议会一致投票通过了月经用品法案。几个月前，苏格兰立法者已初步批准了这一法案。

这意味着苏格兰各地包括中小学和大学在内的公共场所将会免费提供月经用品。根据新法规，地方政府部门和教育机构将确保免费供应月经用品。

去年提出这一法案的议员莫妮卡▪列侬在投票前表示：“该运动受到了各联盟的广泛支持，包括工会、妇女组织和慈善团体。”

在投票结束后，列侬表示，这一决定“向世界释放出一个信号，那就是全面免费供应月经用品是可以实现的”。

该法案附带的财务备忘录估计，到2022年，该免费项目每年将耗资约870万英镑（约合1157万美元），具体数目取决于领用免费月经用品的女性数量。

苏格兰首席部长尼古拉▪斯特金投票结束后在她的官方推特页面上写道：“能为这一开创性法案投票，我感到很骄傲。该法案让苏格兰成为世界上第一个向所有需要的人免费提供月经用品的地区。”

根据英国国际计划2017年的一项调查，英国有十分之一的女孩买不起月经用品。调查还发现，年龄在14岁到21岁之间的女孩中有近半数因为月经而感到尴尬，约半数女孩因为来月经而请假一整天不去上学。

在法案通过前，近年来苏格兰曾作出一系列努力来解决月经贫困问题。

2018年，苏格兰政府宣布，将通过一项520万英镑的投资向全国大中小学的学生免费供应卫生用品。2019年，苏格兰政府又拨款400万英镑让图书馆和娱乐中心免费提供月经用品。

去年英格兰发起一项运动，在学校免费提供卫生用品，今年早些时候新西兰也如法炮制。

(chinadaily.com.cn)