Nearly two women received free menstrual pads in Brazil this year

According to data released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, almost 2 million people received free menstrual pads under the Menstrual Dignity Program launched this year. They can be collected at Farmácia Popular locations, a government program that provides free medicines to treat certain diseases. The Menstrual Dignity program is expected to help approximately 24 million people aged 10 to 49 who do not have access to this product during their menstrual cycles.

“As of May 24, the program had provided assistance to 1,737,061 people who collected the pads at establishments accredited under the Farmácia Popular program,” the Agência Brasil ministry announced through its press office.

Next Tuesday (May 28) is International Menstrual Dignity Day.

The ministry emphasizes that this date is recognized in over 50 countries and is a platform to fight period poverty – a pressing problem that significantly affects menstruating women.

The Ministry of Health refrained from commenting on a study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which highlights ongoing challenges related to safe menstruation in Brazil. The study highlights that “the right to decent and safe menstruation and access to sanitary products continues to be a challenge for adolescents and young people, including girls, women, transgender men and boys, and non-binary people who menstruate.”

Difficulties

Gynecologist Daniela Angerame Yela, member of the Commission of Endocrine Gynecology of the Brazilian Federation of Associations of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Febrasgo), agrees with UNICEF.

According to the doctor, although there are public policies in Brazil aimed at changing this situation, significant challenges remain, especially among the poorest population. She highlighted findings from dissertations conducted by students of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), which revealed the lack of access to decent menstruation among Amazonian riverine communities and border regions where large numbers of immigrants live. “These people are struggling with enormous difficulties,” she noted. Even in large cities like São Paulo, many women have difficulty registering for government programs to obtain sanitary pads. “Although there are many public initiatives, not everyone can take advantage of all the benefits,” she explained.

The gynecologist advocates conducting awareness campaigns in schools, addressed to girls and teenagers. “I believe this way we can reach as wide an audience as possible while also supporting dissemination as they can then share the information with their mothers and the wider community.” Regarding public programs, Daniela Angerame Yela supports their development, arguing that it would not involve significant costs for governments. Unicamp organized a collection of sanitary pads, which were then distributed to those in need in Campinas and Valinhos.

Permanent operation

The NGO Central Única das Favelas (CUFA) is leading an ongoing campaign to combat period poverty by collecting pads to distribute to girls and women struggling with social vulnerability. In an interview with Agência Brasil, Kalyne Lima, president of CUFA Brasil, highlighted the organization’s experience in solving this problem through the work carried out over the last few years.

Lima also stressed the importance of the government’s menstrual dignity program. “We are often faced with such a profound level of vulnerability that despite policies such as these that aim to facilitate access to sanitary pads, many women are either unaware of it or face challenges in the bureaucratic process of registering to benefit from such initiatives . We operate in a complex social context with many layers,” she noted.

For her, this policy is both crucial and necessary. “We know this makes a significant contribution to women’s rights, but at the same time we see a disconnect between some policies and their target audiences,” Lima explains. She believes this gap exists because many vulnerable women do not have awareness of or access to more comprehensive and educational campaigns explaining their rights. She noted that in some ways, many people who menstruate, both women and men, still find themselves on the margins of this policy.

The CUFA campaign to collect and distribute sanitary pads is decentralized and gains momentum during key events such as Women’s Month, Women’s Day, and targeted initiatives. “However, the campaign continues because we realize the important nature of this support. In parallel with these efforts, we strive to disseminate information about the federal government’s developing policies, ensuring that women have access to them in every possible way,” Kalyne Lima emphasized.

Schools

José Maria Soares, Chairman of the Endocrine Gynecology Committee of Febrasgo and Head of the Department of Endocrine Gynecology and Menopause Sector at the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo (USP), highlighted the prevalence of period poverty among teenagers and low-income women. Soares explained to Agência Brasil that due to financial constraints, these people often cannot afford commercially available sanitary pads during their menstrual cycles and resort to using wipes for hygiene purposes. “This situation often leads to missing school classes,” he lamented.

Given that not all teenagers and women have access to the government program, he proposed an alternative solution: sending health care workers or social workers to schools to register students. “This approach could significantly increase the effectiveness of the program. Currently, the government is implementing such programs, although some benefit from it and others do not. By including menstrual education in school curricula and facilitating registration, we not only provide knowledge, but also inform students about available government support resources,” he explained. He then emphasized the key role of teenagers as a multiplier in this process. By spreading the word about the program to family members, friends and neighbors, they have a domino effect, enabling more people in similar situations to have access to sanitary pads.