International Day of the Girl: Human rights and Menstruation
Did you know that the International Day of the Girl is on October 11 this year? We’re a week out from this incredible celebration, and so naturally top of our minds are the women and girls are such an important part of Georgia STOMP’s work. We encourage all of our friends, family and supporters to take a moment and maybe stop by a local celebration (like this AWESOME day planned by our friends at the Center for Civil and Human Rights) or celebrate the day in your own way – maybe by speaking up in support of human rights for people around the world!
Have you ever thought about how having a period might affect your life, or the life of women and girls across the world, on a grand scale? For example: It’s completely normal and healthy for many of us to have our periods once a month. To manage them in a healthy way, we need supplies like pads, tampons, cups or period panties. And you know:
– There’s no shame in your body doing what it does, it’s healthy.
– We all need certain things to live a healthy life – like food, water, shelter, and for women and girls – period supplies!
– People around the world agree: health is a human right.
Even though periods are a normal, healthy part of life, sometimes laws, programs, or cultures don’t support menstruators and their rights to manage their periods with dignity. In order for women and girls to pursue their human rights, like education and health, we all need to speak up and support menstrual equity.
How can you fix that?
USE YOUR VOICE!
We’re raising our voices to start by eliminating the sales tax on menstrual hygiene products.
- Under current Georgia law, menstrual products are taxed at the full 4%.
- We believe period products should be tax exempt like groceries, prescriptions, personal medical devices, hearing aids and prosthetics.
- These FDA Class 2 medical devices are unavoidable necessities. They are not an optional purchase and are required for a menstruator’s physical health.
- There is no male equivalence.
- This is an education and economic issue. Economically disadvantaged women in our state miss school and work for lack of access to essential products.
It’s important to keep in mind that in addition to having women having to shoulder this tax, great financial disparity exists between men and women in this state:
- Georgia women rank 46th in the nation using 15 metrics across three main areas including Workplace environment, Education and Health, and Political Environment.
- 1 in 5 Georgia women live in poverty (20% vs 12% of Georgia men)
- 2/3 of minimum wage jobs are held by women.
- Women in Georgia make 81% of what men make.
Join us to demand that Georgia repeal the menstrual product state tax – it is discriminatory and should be eliminated!