Sanitary Pad Support at TED University
Tarih: Date
Taxes on pads and tampons in Turkey make it challenging to access menstrual products. In Turkey, 18 percent tax is applied to menstrual products under the Luxury Consumption Tax. However, menstrual products should be evaluated under the basic needs category. Due to the inflation-induced price increases in Turkey, women, poor people, and university students bring up the “menstrual poverty.” The price increases in many products due to the significant hikes in services within the scope of basic housing needs such as electricity and natural gas led to the “basic needs and tax” discussion. In addition to the call for zero value-added tax for food products, women also demand a zero tax for menstrual products. Research (1) conducted by the Deep Poverty Network shows that 82 percent of women participants do not have access to pads, and only 18 percent can access pads without any support. Another research (2) conducted with more than 6,500 university students in France reveals that 13 percent of participants had to sacrifice another basic need to buy tampons or pads. A third of participants say they need financial support to buy these products. It is clear that menstrual poverty is a social issue and a real problem in terms of equality. To cope with this problem, a certain amount of pads will be provided free of charge in our university to be used in cases where pad access is difficult. The pads provided are a gift from TED University and the Center for Gender Studies to the members of our university for March 8, International Women’s Day.
Points where you can reach the pads:
Ayşe Ilıcak Library (Block B)
Registrar’s Office (Blok A)
English Language School - Secretarial (B 543)
Ayşe Ilıcak Library (Block D)
Faculty of Architecture and Design - Secretarial (D 016)
Faculty of Education - Secretarial (D116)
Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences - Secretarial (D 226)
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(1) Göçmen, E., Kalender, G., Foggo, H., Yüksel, S., Şener, Ş., Duman, Ş. (2020). Pandemi döneminde derin yoksulluk ve haklara erişim araştırması. https://derinyoksullukagi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Pandemi-doneminde-derin-yoksulluk-ve-haklara-erisim-arastirmasi-Yerel-Yonetimlere-Kriz-Donemi-Sosyal-Destek.pdf
(2) France: Free period products for students. (2021, 23 Şubat). Deutsche Welle. https://www.dw.com/en/france-free-period-products-for-students/a-56666492