Remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator at the Official Launch of the 2022 Free Sanitary Pad Distribution Campaign

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

For many people, menstrual hygiene is an inconvenience or taboo. But for millions of girls around the world, it can pose barriers to education, health, and human rights.

The story of a pubescent girl named Daniella from Jui, Western Rural Area is a typical example of this. One morning, her older brother Abdul found Daniella clutching at her pillow sobbing. This was unusual as they were supposed to be already starting their 10-minute walk to school together. After a bit of probing from the concerned Abdul, Daniella disclosed that her menses had started, and she was afraid of going to school. Nobody had prepared Daniella for this day, hence her apprehension about leaving her room to face the world with this change happening in her body.

The lack of reproductive health education is only one of the many barriers for many young girls across Sierra Leone. The start of menstruation typically means a loss of days in school. The inherent culture of silence around menstruation also bars girls from consulting others about this change, including reaching out to more knowledgeable adults. The memories of seeing other menstruating girls being mocked and shamed, especially by male colleagues, further push many girls to stay away from school during this time.

Overcoming these barriers requires political, corporate, and public sector leadership.

It is for this reason that I would like to start by expressing the United Nations' profound gratitude to Her Excellency, the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Bio, for her transformative leadership in advancing the menstrual health of women and girls in Sierra Leone. I would also like to commend the Government for its sustained commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in the country’s development trajectory by implementing programmes targeting reproductive education, health, and rights. 

The theme of this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day ‘making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030’ emphasizes the need to build a world where no girl is without safety supplies and easy access to menstrual products by 2030. It is also about raising awareness of the inability of many girls to afford the menstrual supplies needed to manage health and hygiene with dignity, which coupled with cultural taboos, often limits their participation in daily activities including attending school. Furthermore, stigma and myths related to menstruation often reinforce discriminatory practices.

Although menstruation is a normal and regular event in every healthy adolescent girl's life, in most parts of Africa, including Sierra Leone, puberty is considered as an entry to adulthood often resulting to child marriage. Platforms such as the commemoration of Menstrual Hygiene Day, therefore, provide an opportunity for stakeholders to interrogate the interconnectedness of the vulnerabilities that women and girls face; which in turn require multi-sectoral solutions.

Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

Menstrual health and hygiene encompass various systemic factors that link menstruation with health, well-being, gender equality, education, equity, empowerment, and rights. These systemic factors include,

• accurate and timely knowledge;
• available, safe, and affordable materials;
• referral and access to health services;
• sanitation and washing facilities;
• positive social norms; and
• advocacy and policy.

The Government has a key role in setting regulations for menstrual materials, taxation considerations, and determining the impact of policy proposals such as free sanitary pads in schools. Moreover, investments in menstrual hygiene, from both public and private sectors, provide the opportunity to take effective menstrual hygiene solutions to scale.

UN Sierra Leone will continue to support women and girls’ multi-dimensional needs through ongoing programmes that seek to improve sexual and reproductive health, access to appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene as well as access to education.

Allow me, therefore, to conclude by reaffirming the United Nations' commitment to the people and the Government of Sierra Leone in ensuring that women and girls are able to enjoy their rights to dignity and are supported to reach their full potential in life. Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind and that the furthest behind – rural girls such as Daniella - are reached first.

I thank you all for your attention.