Free menstrual products available at UvA starting this week

The CSR made a purchase of 6,320 euro for individual menstrual products (tampons and pads) for students who menstruate. The products can be found at various UvA locations. For this project, the council paid 943 euros. ‘That was emergency funding,’ says CSR member Anjali George (21). ‘This service is necessary at the UvA. If you don’t have products with you and during your lecture you are surprised by your period, it is not a choice,’ George said. ‘Menstrual products should be available. They are basic necessities that should be available for free in college, similar to toilet paper and hand soap.’ The free products are available at the CSR’s office on the Roeterseiland Campus (REC).

Gender equality

Meanwhile, the tampons and pads are also available at the student councils of the Faculty of Society & Behavior, Law and Economics & Business Administration, and in the PPLE building. This week the products will also be distributed in the PC Hoofthuis and the Amsterdam UMC. George: ‘As an educational institution, it is important to facilitate gender equality, and this includes offering sanitary products to students who menstruate. We see that other universities have already taken a step in this direction, including Twente, Maastricht and Rotterdam. That is why we are financing the tampons and sanitary pads from our own pocket.’

From 1 euro to 15 cents per pack

The UvA has also taken steps to make the products available for one cent each (15 cents per pack) in School Supply’s vending machines, beginning this week. ‘The CSR came to us in 2021 to make menstrual products available to students who cannot afford them,’ says a spokesperson. ‘We responded to that. We started the pilot last September, whereby students can buy the items for a small amount. Initially, starting in September, students could buy a pack of sanitary pads or tampons for 1 euro, but at the request of the CSR we reduced that amount to 15 cents.’

‘The CSR also said that they would prefer to see the items available in every restroom,’ the spokesperson continued. ‘We are now looking at exactly what the cost would be if we would furnish the products in all or some of the restrooms. We expect to know sometime in early 2023. So far, about 60 packages per month are being purchased. The costs are covered by Facility Services.’

Additional step

If the products are already very cheap in vending machines at the request of the CSR, why does the council still wants free products in restrooms? ‘Some students we talk to find it a barrier to go to a vending machine. To confirm that, we also started a survey in which students can indicate whether they would like menstrual products in the restrooms. With our project, we are now one step ahead. This way we hope to send a signal that free menstrual products are really needed,’ George says.

House of Representatives

Meanwhile, the subject of free menstrual products has also made its way to The Hague. Earlier this week, the House of Representatives (‘Tweede Kamer’) adopted a proposal by D66, PvdA and Volt to make menstrual products available for free to low-income people. The House finds this necessary because users living in poverty sometimes cannot afford tampons or pads. They ‘sometimes cannot attend school, work or other activities,’ the proposal states. A lack of menstrual products can also lead to health problems. Using inappropriate alternatives such as toilet paper, old cloths or newspapers increases the risk of infection. Minister Schouten (CU) for Poverty Policy is in favour of the proposal, it appeared earlier in a parliamentary debate. According to the minister, the distribution of menstrual products can be organized through the Food Bank.