KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is moving to address period poverty, which Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has acknowledged, often causes girls to miss school, and women to miss work.

The minister said, beginning this year, the Government will establish the National Menstrual Health Equity Initiative to alleviate period poverty among school-aged girls in Jamaica through strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Education and existing civic and multilateral groups such as HerFlow and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Tufton addressed the matter on Tuesday during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate.

He told the Parliament that, “We will be embarking on a multi-sectoral National Menstrual Health Equity pilot initiative to distribute menstrual hygiene kits and conduct education sessions in eight schools with high concentrations of PATH-registered (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education) girls, using an integrated school-health approach to adolescent wellness, incorporating menstrual wellness with WASH (water, sanitisation, hygiene) improvements, HPV vaccinations, personal hygiene education, and HIV/STI prevention.”

The minister shared that the 18-month pilot project is estimated to cost $50 million and is expected to benefit 2,000 girls while also reaching boys, teachers, parents, and school health personnel through education and community engagement activities.

Additionally, a multi-sectoral technical working group, co-chaired by the health and education ministries will be convened to coordinate the pilot and produce an evaluation report that will guide policy development and programmatic rollout.

Tufton described period poverty as the “inability to afford or access essential menstrual products, education and sanitation facilities”. He noted that it causes significant health risks, shame and stigma, forcing many to use unsafe alternatives or miss school and work.

Key causes include high costs, lack of infrastructure and systemic inequality.

Tufton pointed out that globally more than 500 million people lack access to menstrual facilities.

“Global studies show that over one‑third of girls, approximately 35 per cent, treat menstruation as a private or taboo matter, limiting help‑seeking behaviour and access to accurate reproductive health information,” he said.

He informed that, “The challenge is not just Jamaica; in the US, nearly one in four students have struggled to afford period products and just under half had worn period products longer than recommended.”

“We all must be concerned about period poverty among our young girls in schools. It’s not just a hygiene issue, but a systemic barrier that keeps girls out of classrooms, undermines their academic potential and reinforces cycles of inequality and poverty,” said Tufton.

The health and wellness minister pointed to statistics which show the following:

— One in four girls in low-income Jamaican communities miss school during their period due to lack of sanitary products;

— Only 30 per cent of public schools provide free menstrual products;

— Period-related absenteeism is linked to lower academic performance and a widening gender gap; and

— Across broader research, about 44 per cent of girls in Jamaica experience period poverty.

With the average pack of sanitary napkins costing between approximately $250 and $600, many families on the PATH programme (living on less than $1,300 per day) must choose between food and menstrual hygiene.

— Lynford Simpson