OUR country, Malaysia, is prospering and succeeding in every part. Issues that are brought up by the public will sometimes be acknowledged by the government or the opposition.

An issue that has become the focus of our nation as of late is period poverty. Recently debated during the Budget 2022 presentation, it is estimated that there are around 130,000 female teenagers from the B40 category families that don’t have access to female hygienic products such as sanitary pads due to financial constraints.

As a response to the issue that arose during the debate, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz answered by saying that the government will provide a personal sanitary kit for free, monthly, to the estimated number of female teenagers from the B40 category families to handle period poverty.

Alhough the short answer to the issue was given, I still think that a sanitary kit is merely a short-term solution to a problem that must be sorted out in the long run.

The timestamp of this “free kit” was never given and period poverty isn’t only experienced by female teenagers but it is also experienced by female adults who are in the extreme poverty and B40 categories.

A better solution would be to create subsidies for the hygienic products used by women all over the country and treat these products as an essential one just like food, medicines and utilities. 

Another suggestion that should be taken note of instead of a simple sanitary kit is how the government should give reusable female hygienic products instead of the single-use ones. 

These reusable sanitary pads, underwear and menstrual cups have proven to be more useful and last longer compared to single-use pads and tampons. It is pricier than single-use ones but it is more convenient and it saves more money in the long run.

Amazingly, some countries went beyond the expectation of the public and made female sanitary products free for all women. In order for our country to achieve this type of success in handling period poverty, we must focus on solutions that will bring a lasting impact.

A short-term solution such as the one that has been suggested or will be implemented by the government doesn’t necessarily tackle the real issues behind period poverty. The issues that I am pointing out towards are poverty as a whole, cleanliness as part of period poverty and also education and awareness of the female anatomy.

It is saddening and frustrating to see how the numbers of extreme poverty have increased dramatically after the worldwide pandemic forced this nation into a national lockdown. In recent times, our economy is slowly building its way up again and we are all here for it. However, recovery will take time.

Meanwhile, being in poverty is wildly known as being in “hunger” so those who knows what hunger is, will always choose to have rice on their plates compared to anything else. This includes saving money to buy food instead of the female sanitary products for female family members.

The situation has driven females in poverty into taking extreme measures on making sure their menstrual cycle does not burden their families or themselves in any way. 

In extreme cases, most of them will get pregnant just to be sure that they won’t have to deal with their periods for at least nine months. Alhough it seems irrational for people with money, those living in poverty must ensure that the money they have is used for food and essentials instead of the hygienic products that are used during the time of the month.

This is a huge problem because having a child while in poverty will cause these families or individuals to spend more once the child is out in the world. Additionally, cases of babies being abandoned will also increase when mothers can’t afford to care for the child.

Kits that will be given as a short-term solution does sound appealing but going back to the core of the problem, it is poverty. Poverty must be eradicated to ensure that the future generation do not have to go to these extreme measures just to survive. 

To do this, the government must increase the level of the education and the availability of education to all, no matter where they live. 

Increasing the level of education might sound like a textbook answer but it is a long-term solution that has been proven many times by developed countries to be successful. Education opens the opportunity for better jobs, better jobs create better technologies and technology means job opportunities. It is an inevitable cycle.

The education system in our country must implement a holistic approach in the new syllabuses starting from high school itself. The most important subject to bring this issue out and about under the holistic approach would be sex education.

It is easy to assume the context of sex education is what the name stands for, but the truth is, sex education exposes the truth on the human anatomy, including the female anatomy. Hence, there will be a topic dedicated to periods, not just the cycle but the hygienic, health and also the societal issues that follow.

The taboo behind sex education is very infuriating because it will be a subject that will fall under living skills. Due to the taboo of “sex” and “periods”, people don’t want to talk about the issues they are facing.

The consequences of the extreme measures taken by them will cost them their lives if not taken seriously. The lack of education in the sex realm causes people to do things out of desperation. 

This leads to diseases and ultimately death for these women who are just trying to be accepted by society. As stated above, period poverty isn’t just about money, but it is also about the lack of awareness and exposure on the hygiene part of menstruation. 

If the government were to do a survey on the female population in our country to find out who truly knows about their bodies, it will be shocking to see how low the numbers are. 

The reason is females aren’t allowed to talk and be proud of their bodies to begin with. The majority of our population shut the female community out when they try to fight for the rights of their bodies. Some just give easy solutions with little to no benefits at all.

The poverty of knowledge affects every woman in our country and it is a huge factor to sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and many more.  Some women don’t even know about polycystic ovary syndrome, a disease that effects around 12.6% of the Malaysian women.

Even the lack of understanding when it comes to the usage of birth control can be upsetting because when a woman takes birth control pills before marriage, she is judged in a certain way. 

However, based on the experiences I have gathered from my wife, sisters and female friends, birth control pills are often used by medical professionals to treat hormonal issues among women, even when they don’t engage in sexual intercourses. 

Hence, due to the poverty of knowledge when it comes to periods, women are condemned for using such powerful medications to treat hormonal issues that could influence their ability to function in their daily lives.

An increase in exposure and introducing sex education not only reduces the taboo surrounding the topic of periods but it will help decrease the stigma that our society has against women.

I believe in equal opportunities and a natural phenomenon such a menstruation must be generalised in the public eye. 

Recently, Libresse, a feminine care and hygiene brand, launched a campaign that featured images of the vulvas on its sanitary product packaging, which is then incorporated with telang flowers. 

The company then received backlash from Safinar Salleh, the chairman of Yadim Muslim Women’s Council, who found it to be dishonouring to women, undermining the dignity of a women and violating the norms of the decency in our society.

This proves how our society has been brainwashed into believing that periods and the human anatomy are a taboo when in reality they are not. Comments and restrictions like these are the main reason why women of our country are afraid to talk about period poverty or afraid of seeking help on this concerning issue.  

As Malaysians, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to be the best version of themselves. An issue such as period poverty should be eradicated fully as it hinders the nation’s female teenagers from progress.

The situation in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak are examples of how their progress are being hindered because girls are literally locking themselves up in their homes during their period. 

It is because they are ashamed to go to school since the blood might soak their skirts and pants; after all, they are mostly using homemade pads due to poverty.

Even teenagers in urban areas pass their pads as if they are doing drug deals because of how ashamed they are on the idea that they are menstruating.

The perception of the general public must be transformed. There is a Malay proverb that says, “Malu bertanya, sesat jalan,” which basically means how without asking, one will be lost forever.

It is not too late for the government and the people of our country to stand together and work on solving period poverty. We must win this war against period poverty so the future female leaders of our country will be able to maintain the prosperity that exists today. – November 12, 2021.

* Mahathir Mohd Rais is Segambut Bersatu division chief.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.