Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The SPD in the Düsseldorf state parliament is demanding free menstrual articles in all public buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia. On Tuesday, the parliamentary group decided on a corresponding application for the coming plenary week. The Social Democrats refer to Scotland, where the "Period Product Act" recently came into force.
In Scotland, tampons or pads must now be available free of charge in all schools and municipal bodies. In addition to hygienic reasons, the SPD also sees social reasons for such a model in North Rhine-Westphalia: Menstruation is a "gender-specific disadvantage" that must be addressed, according to the motion for the state parliament. And further: "The lack of access to menstrual articles has a negative impact on the school, university or workday of those affected."
The country should first launch a funding program and then introduce a law based on the Scottish model.
In the city of Düsseldorf, tampons and pads will soon be given out free of charge in schools. This was decided by the school board of the city council a few days ago. The offer had been tested at 13 Düsseldorf schools since November 2021. 70 percent of the schools assessed the experience as fundamentally positive and advocated a continuation.
A majority of the German population also supports free menstrual products in public buildings in Germany. In a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, 66 percent of those questioned were in favor of giving menstruators free access to items such as tampons or pads. 18 percent reject this, 16 percent of those questioned made no statement.
