A crying shame!

Thursday 26th November 2020

Male MPs, wearing as they did their hearts on their sleeves, yesterday, wept buckets for hapless women who suffered harassment and violence at the hands of savages who call themselves ‘men’. They made themselves out to be knights errant in shining armour on a mission to help those in trouble, especially damsels in distress. They did so when Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa brought to the notice of the House an incident where a female worker had been assaulted by one of her male counterparts, in a government office, in Gampaha. All of them condemned the incident, with one voice, and stressed the need for safeguarding the rights of women, and rightly so. But is their concern for women genuine? This is the question one must have asked oneself on seeing them shed copious tears for the female assault victim. If they really do, why has none of them called for an end to the shameful practice of governments imposing taxes on women’s hygiene products?

Rohini Kaviratne, one of the few female members of the current Parliament, has taken up the issue of heavy taxes on sanitary towels, according to a news item we published yesterday. She deserves praise, but, sadly, she has not received any support from her male counterparts who pretend to be sisters under the skin.

The despicable sanitary towel tax has been there for years despite protests. Are Sri Lankan governments so broke as to augment their revenue with taxes on this essential sanitary product?

Women account for more than one half of the Sri Lankan population although they have not realised their power, which can make or break governments. Besides, the Sri Lanka economy is dependent on women who are slaving away on estates, in garment factories and in West Asia. They deserve a much better deal.

Urban spaces which used to be eyesores have been yuppified, and infrastructural development is discernible in various parts of the country. These gentrification and development projects may go on, but we must not lose sight of the seamy side of ‘the paradise’.

Most schools are without proper sanitation facilities. Research findings have revealed that many girls stay at home during their periods as they lack access to toilets in their schools, as we have mentioned in a number of previous comments. One may recall that more than one half of adolescent Sri Lankan girls, surveyed by UNICEF and the government of Sri Lanka in 2015, revealed that they did not attend school during their periods.

The education sector is now in the hands of two eminent scholars—Education Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, a legal brain, and Secretary to the Education Ministry, Prof. Kapila Perera, an engineering brain. Both are former Vice Chancellors who have interacted with students sufficiently and are au fait with their problems. It is hoped that the brainy duo will, together with the government leaders, ensure that every seat of learning will have proper sanitary facilities, and menstruation will not prevent any girl from attending school.

Mangala Samaraweera, credit where credit is due, was considerate enough to reduce taxes on sanitary towels when he was the Finance Minister in the yahapalana government. He went on record saying that access to affordable female hygiene products was expected to have an important positive impact on girls’ school attendance and educational outcomes. He was spot on.

We have a female health minister, but she does not seem concerned about issues women are faced with. Let Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi be urged to stop engaging in exercises in absurdity such as dropping pots into rivers in a bid to banish coronavirus, and prevail on the government to make female hygiene products tax free.

It defies comprehension why female hygiene products cannot be made tax free, in a country, where widespread waste is the norm, and tax exemptions are given to politicians. The government must abolish taxes on such essential products; it may recoup any losses resulting therefrom by increasing taxes on firewater and coffin nails aka cigarettes.