Free sanitary products for pupils

SANITARY products will be made freely available to pupils and students at Caithness schools following a funding boost from the Scottish Government.

A sum of £5.2 million will be spent across the Highlands with Caithness getting its share to provide items such as tampons and sanitary pads for learners.

Following a recent VoucherCodesPro survey of over 2000 women, it was revealed that a monthly spend on sanitary products cost females £13 per month.

This had led for calls to combat “period poverty” to help ease the financial burden on women and female teens who may be on low incomes.

Recently, Celtic football club announced it would be supplying free sanitary products in the ladies’ toilets at their Parkhead stadium for female supporters to use if needed.

MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Gail Ross of the SNP has backed the Scottish Government’s initiative

It was extermely successful when it was trialled in Aberdeen last year.

The Scottish Government has also provided the charity, FareShare, with over £500,000 to distribute free sanitary products to women on low incomes across Scotland.

Mrs Ross said: “The SNP Government’s £5.2 million investment in free sanitary products will allow students in the Highlands to remain focused on what matters – their studies.

She underlined that “basic sanitary provision is a right, not a privilege”.

“The notion that anyone should struggle to buy essential hygiene products is simply not acceptable and we should be proud that Scotland is leading the way in the fight against period poverty,” Mrs Ross said.

“I would encourage everyone to get firmly behind initiatives like this, including the UK government.”