The humanitarian organization “Plan International”, founded in 1937, denounced that around two million Venezuelan migrant girls and women do not have access to basic sanitary products that allow them to menstruate with dignity, which exposes them to serious consequences for their health and well-being.
“Women and girls who have fled the economic and political crisis in Venezuela are forced to handle their periods without basic sanitary products. Up to two million Venezuelan girls and women might not be able to afford to menstruate with dignity, with serious consequences for their health and well-being, “the organization warned.
Poor menstrual hygiene can also lead to infections or diseases in the urinary tract and even toxic shock.
The organization highlighted that most have also gone through ” long journeys before reaching neighboring countries such as Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, without sufficient access to drinking water, sanitary facilities and in many cases, toilet paper.”
The Coordinator of Regional Response for the Venezuelan crisis at Plan International, Anyi Morales, lamented that “currently there is no policy for supporting menstrual health and hygiene in migrant and refugee women. Most of the women in transit only have the products that they brought from Venezuela or that are handed out to them during their trip.
She explained that “when they finally settle down, the socio-economic situation becomes so dire that they cannot always meet their health and menstrual hygiene needs. Also, most live in overcrowded spaces, so they have no privacy or the means to have their periods normally.
No money for sanitary pads
Plan International denounced that the situation is even worse in Venezuela, where the cost of a package of sanitary pads can exceed 25% of the monthly minimum wage, while a box of 40 tampons can cost up to three months’ salary.
Besides, the lack of drinking water also has a direct impact on girls’ school attendance, since 28% of schoolchildren say they have missed classes for this reason, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela.
Translated by José Rafael Medina
