gratuity and access to rights

Since the beginning of 2022, Mexico has eliminated – through the fiscal year – the 16% VAT rate on towels, tampons and menstrual cups.

Although the price of pads, tampons and menstrual cups has dropped with the elimination of VAT, they still have to be paid, you have to live in urban areas where they can be bought, you have to have information to manage flows, access to health institutions and medicines.

Despite the fact that universal access to dignified menstruation has not yet been guaranteed, activism has managed to take important steps, not only in terms of eliminating VAT at the federal level, but also in terms of free VAT at the local level.

A few days ago, Scotland made history by becoming the first country in the world to give free access to pads and tampons, through public mailboxes and government incentives to guarantee mailboxes in educational and corporate spaces.

Thinking that Mexico has public policies like this is not very far away, if adaptations and particular strategies were made for local needs. Ahaní Rodríguez, from the Dignified Menstruation MX organization, said that the exercises applied in nine states of the republic are proof of this.

In an interview with El Economista, he stressed that Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Aguascaliantes, Puebla, Jalisco, Colima, Yucatán and Morelos are the entities in which it has already been approved to give free menstrual management products and that, in addition, they have focused in vulnerable groups, such as indigenous and rural communities.

Although the economic, social, demographic and even infrastructure gaps are enormous between one country and another, the truth is that important precedents are being set in the entire Latin American region in terms of dignified menstruation from a human rights and intersectionality perspective. .

“We can make Mexico spearhead in terms of menstruation, not only in matters of VAT elimination, but also in matters of gratuity. In Jalisco, for example, the Dignified Menstruation program that has been assigned is about to come into effect. 9 million pesos for the purchase of towels, tampons and cups that will be delivered to girls and adolescents in primary, secondary and high school education,” Rodríguez said.