Malta Is Making Period Products Free For All Students In Middle And High Schools To Help Reduce Period Poverty
This is another step in the global effort to reduce “period poverty,” when people cannot access basic sanitary products when they need them.
Malta is making period products free for all students in middle and high schools.
The government will install some 142 vending machines with two types of sanitary pads and one type of tampon across 58 schools across the country.
The machines will be wall-mounted, accessible to students with disabilities and dispensed through an automated system that "ensures fair access and prevent misuse of the products," the Times of Malta reported.
The government said the plan, which it is investing €439,000 into, will help to eliminate stigma, normalize open discussions about periods and menstrual health and ensure no student has to miss out on educational opportunities because they don't have access to period products.
This is another step in the global effort to reduce “period poverty,” when people cannot access basic sanitary products when they need them.
This can consequently affecting their education, as students are forced to stay home when they get their periods, and directly impact their work opportunities.
Period poverty may be due to a variety of factors, from poverty, homelessness, abusive relationships, some health conditions and being transgender.
The project is slated to begin in the 2025/2026 school year and comes after a pilot project in September 2024 to provide free period products to about 900 students in three schools.
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