Pamela Redwood | The Health Minister did not go far enough on period poverty

While I acknowledge his decision to raise the issue of period poverty in Parliament, real leadership demands more than discussion; it demands decisive action. If the Government is serious about protecting the dignity, health, and well-being of women and girls, then the removal of GCT on sanitary products should have already been done.

Still, credit must be given where it is due. As a man, the Minister chose to place an issue affecting thousands of women and girls on the national agenda, while many women in positions of influence and political leadership have remained largely silent on the matter. That reality alone speaks volumes.

Period poverty is not a minor social issue. It is a public health issue, an education issue, and a human dignity issue. Across Jamaica, women and girls are being forced to choose between buying sanitary products and buying food. Young girls miss school because they cannot afford basic menstrual supplies. Mothers already struggling under the weight of inflation and rising living costs are expected to absorb yet another burden without meaningful state intervention.

How can any government claim to support women while continuing to tax essential sanitary products? Menstruation is not a luxury. Sanitary products are not optional items. They are necessities. Taxing them continues to place an unfair burden on women simply for a biological reality they cannot avoid.

The removal of GCT on sanitary products would not solve every challenge facing women, but it would send a powerful message that the Government understands the daily struggles of ordinary Jamaicans and is prepared to act compassionately and responsibly. Instead, too many policies continue to ignore the realities of working-class women, single mothers, and vulnerable girls.

Special commendation must also be given to the HERflow Foundation, which has consistently been one of the strongest voices advocating for an end to period poverty in Jamaica. Through advocacy, education, and direct support to vulnerable girls and women, the Foundation has kept this issue alive in the national conversation while many with greater political power remained silent. Their work continues to highlight that menstrual health and dignity are rights, not privileges.

The conversation in Parliament must now move beyond speeches and headlines. Jamaica needs concrete policies aimed at ending period poverty through tax reform, accessible sanitary products in schools and public institutions, and stronger social support systems for women and families.

Women deserve more than symbolic acknowledgement. They deserve action, fairness, and dignity.