A law has come into force in Scotland requiring local authorities and educational institutions to provide free sanitary pads to anyone who says they need them but cannot afford them.
Initiator and Labor MP Monica Lennon called the bill “a sign of hope that shows what can be achieved when politicians work together for the good of the people we serve.”
The law aims to combat ‘period poverty’ because for a proportion of women, possibly a quarter, sanitary pads are very expensive or even unaffordable. It is known to be the first law of its kind in the world.
Price increases also hit Scotland hard. Just last Friday, there was a demonstration at Scottish Power’s head office in Glasgow against the continued rise in energy prices, with slogans such as ‘freeze the prices, not the people.’