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{
"id": 1555510,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555510/?format=api",
"text_counter": 370,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "2015 without any deliberations of the impact of the end result that is desired. They say they are going to buy a certain number of pads. I was even wondering who decides the sizes. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I do not know if you are aware that sanitary pads also have sizes. When we were going into these details, we know that the Ministry purchases sanitary pads, but who decides the sizes to be purchased? Who sits down and decides we are going to buy this size or that, this quality or that, reusable or non-reusable, tampons or not, menstrual cups or not? Who decides? It is assumed that it is a one-size- fits-all. It is assumed that it is a one product, good for all. That is the wrong assumption. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what we are trying to do, first of all, in very simple terms, is to be able to go in and say, this is how we should spend the money that you are giving, so that we can have maximum impact. So, that committee will go into managing, controlling and administering the distribution of pads to curb all the current challenges that we are having. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will quickly brush through what the committee shall do. It shall advise the Government on the provision of sanitary towels in terms of priority areas, the vulnerable schools and restrictions of the product. We also have a point here that I would like to highlight. In Clause 8(c), this committee shall provide free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels to every woman employed by or studying in a public institution, and to every woman who is in the custody of a correctional facility. The key word is, “sufficient”. The question is: What is sufficient? Right now, there is an assumption that if the Ministry of Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action goes into a school and gives every girl one packet for the year, they have carried out their mandate. It cannot be. One packet has eight sanitary towels, yet we believe every single month, there is a girl having her periods. Therefore, if you are giving one packet with eight pieces of sanitary towels, I do not know what the assumption is, because there are 12 months in the year, and so when we are talking about “shall provide sufficient,” understand that periods happen every month, and that every month, that girl will require at the bare minimum, eight pieces of the sanitary towels. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in reference to the quality of the sanitary towels, we have had many incidences where a majority of our girls are suffering from infections. You have vulnerable girls who have no access to sanitary towels. Someone donates, gives or they buy a poor quality sanitary towel, because that is what they have. They use it, and before you know it, within a week or two, they are suffering Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Consequently, they have to start dealing with access to a medical facility, to see a gynaecologist. That means, they have to start dealing with money to treat that infection. All this is because someone somewhere in the Government thought that as long as you give money and tell that guy to purchase pads, we are good. This Bill is trying to mitigate the gaps that have been there over the years, the reason we have not had a high impact in terms of that particular programme. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the House and the public to Clause 8(d) which states- “The Committee shall in consultation with county governments provide a safe and environmentally friendly mechanism for the disposal of sanitary towels”. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}