We can’t tax the menstrual blood of women to build a nation - Comfort Doyoe-Cudjoe Ghansah

Comfort Doyoe-Cudjoe Ghansah, the Deputy Chairperson of the Women Caucus in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Ada has called on the government to scrap the taxes on imported sanitary pads to make them affordable for vulnerable women and girls.

Speaking at the 2024 Ada Asafotufiami festival, the Deputy Minority Whip highlighted the effects of high sanitary pad costs on young girls.

She explained that many young girls, unable to afford sanitary pads, seek assistance from young men in exchange for sex, leading to unintended pregnancies.

“We can’t tax the menstrual blood of women to build a nation. It is not our fault to menstruate, so taxing pads is like roasting your tongue to use as meat. Many young ladies go to the guys to get pads, have sex with them, and end up pregnant. This is on the rise because we are not addressing the root cause,” onuaonline.com quoted her to have said on Friday, August 2, 2024.

Madam Doyoe-Cudjoe emphasized that menstruation is a natural phenomenon and taxing sanitary pads, a basic necessity, reinforces gender and social inequalities.

“The lack of accessibility and affordability is throwing girls and young women out of school and businesses. We must make sanitary pads affordable, accessible, and available to enable young girls to afford them,” she urged.

AM/EK

Watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below: