Indian Women Protest Menstruation Tax

Women in India are protesting the 12% taxation on essential menstrual hygiene products such as sanitary pads and tampons.The 12-14% tax places the essential products within the 'luxury' category, despite other hygeine and cosmetic products remaining tax free. 

Taboo surrounds the issue of menstruation in India, however despite this, calls for the so called 'blood tax” (#lahukalagaan)  to be abolished have gone viral. Thousands have signed an online petition, and many celebrities have expressed their support for the protest via tweets to the Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitly.

The singer Vishal Dadlani tweeted  "Dear @arunjaitley ji. Please abolish the tax on sanitary napkins, for the health of India's female population! #LahuKaLagaan" 

The campain was started by the women's rights group SheSays.  "The right for women to have access to menstrual hygiene and sanitation is absolute," said Trisha Shetty, the founder of SheSays. "Women should not be discriminated against on the grounds of a natural bodily function."

The tax disproportionately affects the rural poor. Women unable to afford hygenic menstrual products are forced to turn to less safe options, reports have sugested that women use leaves, unhygeinic rags, sawdust and even ash which can lead to serious health problems including infection and even infertility. Furthermore, lack of access to menstrual hygeine products can have a significant impact on girls education. Embarassment,anxiety and discomfort during menstruation can keep girls away from schoolm, only increasing the inequality that exists between girls and boys.  

The issue of taxing esssential menstruation products is not an exclusively Indian problem. Accross the world, many countries place high tax on sanitary products despite their importance for example in the UK and the USA protests have been sparked by the so called 'tampon tax". Yet some countries have lead the way to better female health by refusing to place a high tax burden on women, Kenya is the first state to provide tax free sanitary products.