Adolescent Girls in Dormaa East District petition Akufo-Addo to remove taxes on menstrual products

Adolescent girls in the Dormaa East District, have on Friday May 26, 2023 petitioned His Excellency the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu Addo through the District Chief Executive of the area to as a matter of urgency exempt menstrual products of all taxes to make it affordable if they cannot be made free for them.

According to Unifred Ansuaa and two others who handed over the petition to the DCE, if their request should be accepted, it would prove government’s commitment to protecting girls right to quality education, healthcare, dignity and discrimination and empower the young women to achieve gender equality as stipulated by the United Nations Global Goal 5.

Led by the Women’s Health to Wealth NGO which seeks to engender healthier and wealthier women for the progress and development of Ghana, the teenage girls accompanied by some male counterpart from selected Junior and Senior High Schools marched, carrying placards with different inscriptions amidst brass band songs and chanting to the forecourt of the District Assembly to submit the petition.

Among the inscription on the placards were “Leaders Bleed”, “Ghana’s Future Depends on our Period”, “We do not choose to Menstruate”, “Girls in Dormaa East Cannot Afford Menstrual Products”, “Stop Taxing our Period” and so on.

The petition signed by one thousand, hundred and seventy-four (1174) adolescent girls in 24 girls’ clubs of various schools across the district state the follow:

1. That the petitioners are residents of the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region of Ghana
2. That it is generally accepted that menstruation, a natural and regular process experienced by most females between the ages of 12 and 55, is managed effectively through the use of sanitary towels
3. That currently in Ghana, sanitary towels attract a luxury import tax of 20% and a value added tax (vat) of 15% even though sanitary towel have never been categorized as luxury items and therefore remain a crucial aspect of the proper functioning of females (particularly adolescents)
4. That as above – mentioned, sanitary towels are absolute necessities to young females whose very attendance in schools and proper functioning in society is hindered by their inability to purchase/acquire them
5. That it is our plea that sanitary towels that have been placed on the list of luxury taxable items be removed henceforth
6. That these taxes have resulted in the elevation costs of sanitary towels, thereby affecting the ability to access adequate menstrual hygiene products and the subsequent use of unsafe materials as substitutes
7. That these taxes are a massive infringement on the rights of women and girls and hence contradicts Sustainable Development Goal 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and to empower all women and girls
8. That the Government of Ghana considers making menstrual products free and accessible for all women and girls in the country.”

The District Chief Executive who received the petition on behalf of the President, promised to forward it to the appropriate quarters and follow up to ensure a better result.

He acknowledged the steps taken by the young adults and to make their voice heard for an appropriated cause. The DCE advised them to be focused and be vision driven for a brighter future for themselves and the development of the district.