Scots fight period poverty

Scotland is offering tampons and other period products free to anyone who needs them – the first nation in the world to do so – as part of a push to end period poverty. From this week, menstrual products will be available for free in public spaces such as community centres, pharmacies and youth clubs, in line with legislation initially approved by Scottish MPS in 2020. The initiative comes amid a broader global movement to combat period poverty – a lack of access to feminine hygiene products because of their high costs. New Zealand announced last year that it would offer free period products in schools, while officials in South Korea’s capital Seoul began dispensing free menstrual products in some public facilities in 2018. In the United States, several states have reduced or eliminated sale taxes on menstrual products, while Britain last year abolished its ‘‘tampon tax’’.