Growing political support for free period products for people with low incomes

A majority of politicians in the Tweede Kamer want period products to be free for people with lower incomes. A proposal submitted by D66, and co-sponsored by Volt and PvdA, is receiving sufficient support for passage, said D66. The Tweede Kamer members consider this necessary because one in ten women and girls living in poverty sometimes cannot afford tampons or sanitary pads.

Those who are without menstrual items are sometimes unable to go to school, work, or take part in other activities, the motion says. It can also lead to health problems if inappropriate alternatives are used, such as toilet paper or newspapers. "But menstruation is not a choice. It is something very normal," said D66 MP Hülya Kat.

The lower house of Parliament now seems to support that menstruation products be free, and readily available at the very least for people at the most minimum income level. This is "a start," said Volt MP Marieke Koekkoek. "We want a structural solution to the problem; that menstrual products become free for every person."

Minister Carola Schouten, who handles policy issues related to the reduction of poverty, has already said that she is also in favor of the Tweede Kamer proposal. Menstrual poverty can be "very obstructive, especially for young women," said the minister. "If they can no longer afford those products, that can determine whether they can still participate [in society] and whether they really still have the options to just go out somewhere, et cetera."

Schouten said during the debate that the distribution of menstrual products can be arranged through the network of food banks in the Netherlands. The plan would cost 2 million euros per year and can be implemented next year. The required money would come from the European Social Fund (ESF).