Times Of Swaziland: SEX IS A CHOICE BUT  MENSTRUATION NATURAL

SEX IS A CHOICE BUT  MENSTRUATION NATURAL
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The Editor on 21/12/2018 00:29:00


Sir,
Packing your bags to go and be with that person you love is a choice. You
already have the general idea of what will happen when you get intimate. But the
woman’s cycle is natural. It is natural for every woman, rich or poor, to
experience her menstrual periods once a month.
Most women live under difficult circumstances and can’t even afford some
certain basic needs.
The situation is worse in the rural areas. Most girls live under the poorest
areas so sanitary pads aren’t easy to get.
I think sanitary pads are a basic need. They are for catering for something
that’s natural to every woman. Menstruation cannot be avoided, but sex can be
avoided. Yet condoms are available for free.
So, what will it take for sanitary pads to be free? In schools, female pupils
need sanitary pads.
Afford
Due to the fact that some aren’t able to afford them, they end up dropping out
of school.
But the Tinkhundla system that governs our country doesn’t place people at the
centre of development. If that were so, sanitary pads would have been available
to all children in schools, at least 20 years ago.
Condoms
By now these pads must be available, just like the availability of condoms, so
that more girls could enjoy their schooling. This would be one important way
towards dismantling the scourge of patriarchy.
But does the Tinkhundla regime want to dismantle patriarchy? History tells us
that it doesn’t have this among its priorities, in which case then we should
demand that any future system through which our country will be governed must
ensure that sanitary pads are available free of charge for all girls.
Sibonakaliso Maziya
Big Bend