Free menstrual products at the University of Padua, Italy: An act of support

Marina Anastasilaki,

Europe and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence 

On 22 November, the University of Padua launched a remarkable initiative fighting for women’s access to menstrual sanitary products. Precisely, in 2021, the Faculty of Statistics and Mathematics initially started this initiative which is now extended to the free access of absorbent pads for all students of the University of Padua. Antonio Paoli, the prorector of the University, stated that the intention of the University is to transform the experiment conducted in 2021 into a rather widespread and structural practice within the student community. 

As the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) has also pointed out, menstruation is highly related to human rights as it is linked to the human dignity of a person. Pursuant to UNPF, safe access to products of menstrual hygiene is of fundamental importance and requires additional attention, especially considering exclusion and shame often surrounding the topic of menstruation. The access to menstrual sanitary products is linked to the right to health. In fact, in accordance with article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself […]”. The 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization lays down in its preamble that “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.” Therefore, the access of all women to menstrual products is a matter of human rights and it is of the utmost importance for States and social institutions to provide for them and fight against any kind of stigma related to the concept of menstrual health. 

Sources and further reading 

Constitution of World Health Organization, July 22, 1946, https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution 

Sky. (2022, 22 November). Free tampons, at the University of Padua distributors in every department. SKY. https://tg24.sky.it/cronaca/2022/11/22/assorbenti-gratis-universita-padova

UNPF. (2022, May). Menstruation and human rights – Frequently asked questions. UNPF. https://www.unfpa.org/menstruationfaq 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted December 10, 1948,  https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights