Monrovia – Marking World Menstrual Hygiene Day, ActionAid Liberia has issued a strong call for urgent government action to address what it describes as a national crisis of menstrual poverty that is denying thousands of girls and women access to education, dignity, and basic healthcare.
In a statement released on May 28, the organization said adolescent girls across Liberia continue to face a difficult choice every month: attend school without adequate menstrual protection or stay home altogether.
“This is not a personal failing. It is a national emergency,” ActionAid Liberia declared, blaming the situation on high taxes on sanitary products, inadequate sanitation facilities in schools, persistent social stigma, and delays in passing legislation aimed at reducing the cost of menstrual hygiene products.
According to the organization, sanitary pads in Liberia currently attract a combined 30 percent tax burden—20 percent import duty and 10 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST)—making them unaffordable for many families. A pack of sanitary pads costs between L$180 and L$300 (approximately US$1–2), a significant expense in a country where nearly 60 percent of the population lives in poverty.
ActionAid said the high cost of menstrual products has contributed to widespread period poverty, forcing many girls to rely on unsafe alternatives such as old rags, tissue paper, socks, and discarded cloth materials.
“These practices expose girls to infections, reproductive health complications, and the psychological burden of shame and stigma,” the statement noted.
The organization further warned that menstrual poverty is contributing to a growing education crisis. Citing estimates from the United Nations and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), ActionAid said one in ten girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during her menstrual cycle, resulting in the loss of up to 20 percent of the academic year.
“In Liberia, this translates into weeks of missed lessons, declining academic performance, widening gender disparities in education, and, for some girls, permanent withdrawal from school,” the group said.
ActionAid also highlighted the country’s severe shortage of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools.
According to data cited by the organization, 1,790 schools across Liberia lack toilet facilities, affecting more than 356,000 students, approximately half of whom are girls. Only 26.8 percent of schools reportedly have access to basic sanitation services.
The organization said the absence of private toilets, clean water, and soap leaves menstruating girls with few options and often discourages them from attending classes.
“For a girl menstruating in a school with no private toilet, no water, no soap, and no pad, attending school is not just uncomfortable—it is humiliating,” ActionAid stated.
Beyond infrastructure challenges, the group said menstruation remains heavily stigmatized in many communities, leaving girls without access to accurate menstrual health information.
“Many adolescent girls receive no comprehensive menstrual health education before their first period, leaving them frightened, misinformed, and dependent on myths and rumors,” the organization said.
ActionAid argued that meaningful progress is possible through the passage of the proposed Sanitary Pad Tax Exemption Act of 2026, introduced by Representative Thomas Goshua. The bill seeks to eliminate existing taxes on menstrual hygiene products and reclassify them as essential health commodities.
The organization noted that it has joined a coalition of civil society groups, including the Malakai Foundation and YEAH-Liberia, in advocating for the bill’s immediate passage. It also acknowledged previous advocacy efforts by the Community Healthcare Initiative on the issue.
“This bill has sat in committee for too long,” the statement said. “Every day it is delayed, another girl chooses to stay home rather than go to school without menstrual protection.”
While supporting the proposed tax exemption, ActionAid emphasized that further measures are needed, including the provision of free or subsidized menstrual products in public and underfunded private schools and the integration of menstrual health education into the national curriculum.
“Menstrual hygiene is not a women’s issue. It is a human rights issue, an education issue, a health issue, and an economic justice issue,” the organization said. “When we tax a girl’s period, we tax her right to learn. The Legislature must act.”
