Sri Lanka: How period poverty keeps girls out of school

When 14-year-old Janani will get her period, she would not all the time make it to school. Some days, there aren’t any sanitary pads at residence, and Janani is compelled to make use of a pad comprised of outdated garments. On these days, she skips lessons.“I feel ashamed of using cloth,” Janani instructed DW. “If we miss school because of this, they won’t teach us again the lessons we’ve missed, will they?”A survey performed by DW of greater than 500 girls throughout six faculties in Sri Lanka’s Central Province indicated that just about half — 46% — struggled to afford pads every month, with the determine skyrocketing to 81% at one school.Janani’s mom works as a tea plucker within the hills of Nuwara Eliya District and earns about 1,350 rupees (round €4 or $4.5) per day. She buys her daughter pads when she will be able to afford it. When she has no pads, Janani mentioned, she wonders “why I get my period at all.”Almost half of the girls surveyed by DW mentioned they missed school throughout their period for a myriad of causes, together with extreme ache. And it’s affecting their school efficiency.“I keep thinking about it, and so I can’t study,” mentioned 14-year-old Girija referring to period poverty, a sentiment echoed by some of her friends.

‘Some lecturers will purchase pads for us’

Sri Lanka’s authorities is making an effort to handle the issue as its economic system inches in direction of restoration following an financial collapse in 2022.The value of a pack of 10 sanitary napkins elevated by 92% after the financial disaster, from 140 to 270 rupees, based on the Advocata Institute. Imported sanitary pads proceed to be taxed in Sri Lanka at 51%.Teacher Anthonyraj Devaneshi instructed DW that her school gave out one sanitary pad to girls in emergency conditions, however couldn’t afford to offer them out persistently.“Some teachers will buy pads for us, but others won’t,” mentioned 12-year-old Harini, including that she discovered it awkward to ask and would normally ask her pals to do it on her behalf. “If my friends aren’t at school [when I get my period], I’ll just come home.”Harini has to make the lengthy journey residence by herself if her dad and mom are unable to select her up — a stroll which takes her an hour via the hills.Her school additionally has no place for girls to dispose of their sanitary pads, with a number of girls telling DW they averted altering at school. Two faculties had a coverage requiring college students who took a pad from school to buy a alternative and hand it within the subsequent day.

Cloth pads may be unsafe

A 2021 research by Advocata revealed that half of Sri Lankan girls didn’t spend any cash on sanitary merchandise.Rashmira Balasuriya, director of the Arka Initiative to fight period poverty and technical advisor to Sri Lanka’s Family Planning Association, mentioned the difficulty had “most likely gotten worse” following the COVID-19 pandemic and financial disaster.To get monetary savings, many girls use material. About 44% of the girls surveyed by DW reported utilizing a mix of material and pads or completely material throughout their period, though not all of them cited unaffordability as the explanation.Balasuriya mentioned the shortage of daylight in Sri Lanka’s hill nation meant material pads weren’t all the time secure to make use of, as a result of they’d not correctly dry.Girija instructed DW she had began utilizing pads after growing an an infection from material. “Using cloth is hard. It feels like it’s not secure,” she mentioned. “I feel scared to sit because I’m worried something might happen. It’s hard to walk, to sit, or to sleep.”At least a dozen different girls instructed DW that they had additionally developed infections from utilizing material.Girija mentioned her household took out loans from the shop to purchase pads and he or she felt offended together with her mom after they couldn’t afford them. However, her mom instructed her, “It doesn’t matter if we have to use cloth, you use pads.” Still, Girija solely modifications her pad solely as soon as each seven hours, afraid of working out.“When we use cloth for too long, sometimes it burns,” mentioned 13-year-old Saraswathi, who generally makes use of material pads even at school, though she avoids altering for all the day. “It’s difficult to walk with cloth, and my hips hurt.”Teacher Thiruchelvam Mangala Roobini mentioned there was additionally a scarcity of consciousness round menstruation, with many girls who lacked pads compelled to bleed via their underwear, which they’d then dispose of within the bathrooms.

Government initiatives fall quick

Last yr, the Sri Lankan authorities distributed two vouchers of 600 rupees every to 800,000 schoolgirls, with the final disbursement given in September 2024. The purpose of the scheme was to permit the girls to purchase sanitary pads.But Balasuriya mentioned the voucher system was “not a sustainable one,” as the common girl wants about 20 pads over 5 days in a single month, and the cash was merely inadequate. Some girls instructed DW the pads they bought had run out in a single or two months.Roobini believes that many girls didn’t buy sanitary pads with the vouchers, citing earlier situations the place shoe vouchers offered by the federal government had been used to buy different requirements.One school principal instructed DW he was “100% sure” that the sanitary pad voucher had even been used to buy alcohol.

New vouchers anticipated this yr

The present authorities, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, introduced in March that it will spend 1.44 billion rupees on an identical initiative, distributing two vouchers of 720 rupees every to all menstruating schoolgirls.A consultant from the Department of Education instructed DW the initiative would start once more on the finish of May, however it was not attainable to say whether or not it will proceed after the 2 units of voucher disbursements. The lawmakers have but to resolve on the difficulty.“If they give us pads continuously, it’ll be good,” 14-year-old Girija instructed DW. “Then they won’t run out, right? We can keep using them.”