University Of Ghana School of Languages Women’s Commission is set to hold an initiative called ‘Smuggle A Pad’, taking place this Friday, the 15th of December, 2023 at the school of Languages Annex Conference room.
Women’s Commissioner at the School of Languages Patricia Prempeh clarified that the program’s name, ‘Smuggle a Pad’, is not to be taken literally. Instead, it aims to empower women to confidently access sanitary pads whenever and where ever they need them.
“In our society, most people make menstruation a taboo. So most ladies are not really comfortable giving out packages like that. So we want to boost the comfort with no silence, support menstrual hygiene. So it’s not just about being something illegal, but you’re smuggling it in a legal way.”
She highlighted that, the objective of the program is to boost the confidence level of ladies and good personal hygiene.
“‘Smuggle Pad’ is basically about ladies, the ladies on campus, how we go about our daily activities and then we get unexpected visitors in the name of menstruation. And then we have no access to sanitary pads at the various places on campus. ‘Smuggle Pad’ is basically us trying to provide pads on various vantage points so that ladies can get access to it when they have an emergency flow.”
Vice President of the School of Languages, George Boateng echoed his sentiment by expressing the need for male presence and support at the event. He emphasized the importance of collective action to support ladies during this period.
“We expect all students to be there especially my gender; they should come and support our ladies; they should be present to support our ladies They don’t really understand nature and it’s our duty to educate them to let them understand menstruation; it is not a disorder But it’s a natural thing and they should embrace it.”
