Periodic poverty in the Balkans

With half the world’s population made up of women, period poverty affects millions of women and girls every month. Defined by ActionAid Like lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products and the inability to manage menstruation with dignity, period poverty remains prevalent in many least developed and developing countries around the world. But how common is period poverty in the Balkans?

Paritea Croatian human rights organization and Jana Kocevska, a North Macedonian women’s rights activist and fno more Tiiit! Inc.., collaborate to highlight and address menstrual inequalities and injustices affecting women and girls in the Balkans. Its efforts focus on raising awareness and advocating for systemic changes to address these challenges.

The case of the Balkans

The Balkans, a mountainous region in the southeastern peninsula of Europe, includes countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Historically, this area has experienced long periods of instability and conflict, leading to significant disparities between these countries and the rest of Europe, particularly its Western counterparts.

Multidimensional poverty remains high, with 34% of people in Kosovo, living on less than $6.85 a day, according to the World Bank poverty line for upper-middle-income countries. On the other hand, the number of people living below this threshold in The rest of Europe represents only 2%.

Period poverty in Croatia

Faced with this lack of socio-economic development, gender-based poverty is increasingly studied. A study conducted by PaRiter in 2021 indicated that 9.9% of participating women in Croatia sometimes did not have the financial resources to purchase enough sanitary products, while 28.1% were forced to purchase cheaper items and of lower quality.

Until 2023, Croatia imposed a 25% tax on tampons, which were then reduced to 15%. This tax cut marks progress in the fight against period poverty, but persistent stigma around menstruation and limited access to affordable, quality sanitary products still lead to disparities. Many women and girls, due to these obstacles, miss work or school, further increasing their vulnerability.

However, thanks to PaRiter’s initiative, many educational institutions across Croatia have implemented a trial providing free sanitary products to people who menstruate. In response, Marinella Matejcic, women’s rights and reproductive justice responsible for the program PaRiter, said: “We are pleased not only that many educational institutions and local administrations have decided to act, but also because a paradigm shift has occurred regarding the topics deemed appropriate to be discussed in a public debate. Tackling period poverty is a matter of public interest that transcends ideological differences.”

Interview with a North Macedonian women’s rights activist

Croatia sets an example for other Balkan countries with its advanced public and health infrastructure. Unlike Croatia, countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia still struggle with limited access to gynecology and modern contraceptive methods. Rural areas of these countries often face difficulties in accessing clean water and their health facilities, underdeveloped and burdened with outdated perspectives on women’s sexual and reproductive health, further exacerbate disparities in health. women’s health care.

In an interview, North Macedonian Jana Kocevksa described that “Menstrual justice is about opening the debate, recognizing that menstruation is an important natural phenomenon linked to sexual and reproductive health” and that “policies aimed at ending menstrual poverty should be systematically supported by the national program of health “.

On October 4, 2023, North Macedonia joined the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health as the 28th member, pledging to improve health and hygiene support in its minority and rural communities. This initiative marks a crucial step in addressing disparities in menstrual hygiene by focusing on access to clean water. However, to fully combat period poverty, the country recognizes the need to expand education and awareness campaigns to dismantle the stigma associated with menstruation.

In her survey, PaRiter highlighted that a key factor in period poverty was that many women felt shame and embarrassment about their periods, indicating a serious gap in the education system current. Kocevska suggests that the solution “can only be achieved with a well-managed public health policy, emphasizing that “menstrual justice means that marginalized people and minorities, people of different age groups or from urban or rural areas , should all have equal access to knowledge about menstruation, stigma-free periods and clean menstrual products.

Periodic poverty: destigmatization

Efforts by organizations like PaRiter and activists like Kocevska have sensitized to period of poverty in the Balkans, but ongoing discussions are crucial to identify new areas for development. Many countries in the region lag behind their European counterparts in health and education, often clinging to outdated views of menstrual and reproductive health.

Efforts to educate about women’s sexual health and reproductive rights may require systemic changes at local and national levels. This is essential to dismantle the stigma associated with menstruation and women’s cycles, with the ultimate goal of eradicating period poverty in the Balkans.

As PaRiter’s Matejcic says: “In order for the idea of ​​menstruation as something dirty to be definitively deconstructed and/or the menstrual cycle to be destigmatized, it is necessary to introduce sex education at school to educate the citizens. Embarrassment and shame are fought with knowledge.

– Zoé Winterfeldt
Photo: Unsplash