As campaigns continue in Turkey by women and LGBTI+ against the high prices of sanitary towels, The Children and Women First Association applied to government institutions, demanding free sanitary towels.
Criticism continues to be directed at price increases in hygiene products such as sanitary towels and tampons and the 18 per cent VAT charged on them.
According to TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data, sanitary towels with a unit price of TL 0.6692 in December last year increased by 51.04 percent in one year.
As the economic crisis deepens, having access to basic needs become harder for millions of people in Turkey.
According to a latest research by Derin Yoksulluk Ağı, (Deep Poverty Network), 82 percent of women in Turkey can not afford sanitary towels.
The Children and Women First Association has applied to the Presidency’s Communication Centre (CİMER) and related institutions about the issue, demanding the state provide free sanitary towels.
“Women and girls menstruate for nearly 7 days, once in a month. An average of 4-5 sanitary towels are used every day and 20-25 sanitary towels are used during the whole cycle. Think of a mother and her two daughters, sanitary towels cost about 170 TL according to the price on the market. Now imagine that the only income in this family is the minimum wage. This pricing means that millions of women and girls will not be able to afford this basic product. Sanitary towels should be free.” stated The Children and Women First Association.
The association also has expressed the following demands and has called on the public to raise these demands to the two ministries via the CİMER.
1-T.C. Ministry of Health should provide free sanitary towels to every woman 20 pieces per month from family health centres and pharmacies.
2-T.C.Ministry of Trade must inspect the increases in sanitary towels prices and introduce a ceiling price to unit prices.”
