MANILA: Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Thursday emphasized the immediate need to help women fight ‘period poverty” by promoting menstrual health.

‘Period poverty is something that we need to address urgently, even as we address other issues, such as financial literacy and financial inclusion of women,” Pangandaman, head of the Philippine delegation to the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) in New York, the United States, said late Thursday night (Manila time).

Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, and reproductive education that affects women globally, causing physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

Pangandaman said she would initiate a study to identify the causes and understand the gravity of period poverty in the Philippines.

She also sought a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to address the pressing issues confronting women.

“This is something that we don’t really address in the Philippines because it’s almost taboo to even talk ab
out it,” Pangandaman said. ‘But it’s a real problem – in fact, it’s a global community health dilemma – that affects women and girls.”

She said that considering that almost 50 percent of the Philippine population is female, it is important to identify the social, cultural, economic, and even political barriers to menstrual products, education, and sanitation.

Pangandaman also cited the need to know the health issues associated with period poverty, which include urinary tract infections and depression.

‘It can even be a barrier to accessing quality education and staying in school,” she added.

“Not having menstrual care products and reproductive education can have serious consequences on both physical and emotional health.’

Poor menstrual health and hygiene undercut women’s fundamental rights, including the right to work and go to school, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The UNFPA has also noted that the lack of menstrual hygiene management worsens social and economic management.

The Philippine delegation is currently in the US for CSW68, the largest annual event on gender equality and women’s empowerment, fostering important conversations among governments, civil society organizations, experts, and activists worldwide.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Quang Tri: The Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian non-government organisation that helps clear explosive ramnants of war, held a ceremony in Dong Ha city, the central province of Quang Tri on March 15 to mark its 25th year of operation in Vietnam.

Established in the UK in 1989, MAG has worked to bring safety and opportunities to rebuild life and develop livelihoods and future for tens of millions of people in war-affected areas of more than 70 countries.

In 1999, MAG arrived in Vietnam and set up its first office in Quang Tri, the most severely contaminated place for bombs and mines in Vietnam. It expanded its operation in Quang Binh in 2003 then Quang Nam in 2012.

Over the past 25 years, MAG has cleared almost 180 million square metres of land, and destroyed more than 230,000 explosives of various kinds, helping bring safety to nearly 700,000 residents. Besides, it has built schools, medical stations, roads and resettlement areas while carrying out over 1,000 communications activities to raise pub
lic awareness of measures to prevent bomb and mine accidents.

At the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam spoke highly of the contributions by MAG, expressing his hope that MAG and other action operators will continue support for the province to recover post-war consequences and develop the socio-economy sustainably.

Quang Tri is striving to become the first Vietnamese locality that lives safely with bombs and mines left over from wars, he added.

On the occasion, MAG received certificates of merit from the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation and the Chairman of the Quang Tri provincial People’s Committee for its contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic development during 1999-2024, and post-war recovery in Quang Tri province./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency