La Chola demonstrates in favor of women’s health and menstrual hygiene

Costa Rica. La Chola, a symbolic sculpture by Costa Rican artist Manuel Vargas, representing the country’s many women, is awakened to advocate for menstrual health and hygiene for all women in the country, with the message of the “Cambiemos la Regla” campaign, from We Women Connecting.

This initiative aims to promote once again Bill No. 22,421, which aims to strengthen and guarantee the actions of the State of Costa Rica in the field of health and hygiene during the menstrual period, which seeks to facilitate access to the necessary menstrual hygiene products, and to search for women. To enjoy good health for women.

According to Marisela Zamora, President of Nosotras Women Connecting, the campaign wants to include the bill in the legislative stream again in this new period, which is why the movement includes a series of measures that will be implemented throughout the current month. Such as: billboards, media spaces, signatures, social networks, among others, in order to highlight the importance of the project, before the deputies start their sessions anew.

“We started this movement with the La Chola demonstration, because it represents the constant struggle of all these women in the country and, according to sculptor Manuel Vargas, represents all those who have made it possible for their children to study and have a future and have even given up and ignored many of their own needs.

We Women Connecting is an organization focused on finding solutions for gender equality, inclusion and social transformation through art, culture, creativity and communication based in Costa Rica and reaching over 120,000 Costa Rican women. Rica, Latin America and Kenya, Africa.

The importance of the project

According to estimates, a woman’s fertile life can last up to 4 decades. That is, on average, a woman will have 13 cycles per year of about 5 days each, and it is recommended to change towels every 4 hours during her period, so on average a woman will use 30 towels per period, 390 per year. Changing 6 towels per day can account for about 540 colones per woman, 27% of the 2,000 colones per day earned by the nation’s poorest families.

This represents that a woman, over her lifetime, could need an average of 15,640 sanitary napkins, costing at least 90 yen each, bringing to a total amount of 1,400,000 yen over her fertile life.

“The numbers of these costs, due to the biological condition of women, are very high and have become a luxury that many cannot afford, so they must resort to using newspapers or rags during menstruation, and in the case of some girls or adolescents they stop. Being in educational centers was during the period due to the same situation.

We must take into account that 20% of households in our country live on less than 2,000 yen per day and 60% manage to do so on less than 7,270 yen per day, according to the 2021 National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) household survey.

The project is on the way

In the midst of all these circumstances that many women go through, there is an opportunity for them, which is Project Law No. 22,421.

“With this movement we put the issue in the national dialogue so that, with the participation of citizens and the media, they unite the deputies who are the owners of the approval of the law in their hands, and take the first steps in a dignified and independent monthly session for all people,” Zamora affirmed.

The bill seeks – in the first place – to achieve a low value-added tax rate, so that products are included in the basic basket. Similarly, such as generating educational processes, information campaigns and awareness on hygiene and menstrual management in relevant institutions; Finally, establish general policies and procedures for access to menstrual products for students and prisoners.

It also intends that the National Institute for Women (INAMU), the Ministry of Health and the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) prepare information and awareness campaigns in the field of menstruation education, focusing on the diversity of menstrual hygiene products, menstrual cycle management, the need for menstrual infrastructure, and prevention From menstrual poverty, sustainable menstrual products, and menstrual contamination, as well as the effects of painful periods and the prevention of period-related bullying.

Line. Central American and Caribbean Digital Newspaper