Islamabad :  Santex Products Private Limited, a leading name in the personal hygiene care industry in Pakistan, has signed an MoU with Sindh Prisons and Correctional Services Department (Government of Sindh) and Committee for the Welfare of Prisoners- Legal Aid Society (CWP-LAO), to improve the access of menstrual products to female prisoners in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur & Larkana.

Adequate access to safe sanitary products has always been a struggle due to the shame and stigma that surrounds periods. The situation is even more unsettling for the incarcerated women whose menstrual needs largely go unmet due to lack of resources.

Santex Products through its Butterfly Outreach program has been donating monthly supplies of sanitary napkins to the prisons to ensure accessibility of necessary menstrual hygiene products for inmates. Awareness sessions are also being conducted on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) to educate female prisoners about the importance of safe feminine hygiene practices. The MoU with the Sindh Prisons and Correctional Services Department and CWP-LAO is a further extension of these efforts on a formal ground.

Speaking about the importance of this partnership, Ms. Rodrigues, Marketing Lead Santex Products, said, “We believe every woman from any walk of life, should be able to go through her monthly cycle with dignity. Access to menstrual products is a challenge for most and we are happy to see our joint efforts with CWP-LAO and Sindh Prisons Departments will result in better access and personal hygiene awareness for the female inmates”

Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) Sindh, Kazi Nazeer Ahmed shared that this partnership initiative is an avenue to promote healthy recreational activities for inmates, also resulting in their improved mental health. It will support to secure improved rights for menstruating populations in prisons through ensuring improvement in the knowledge, attitude and practice parameters related to menstrual health of prisoners and prison staff.

Speaking on this signing ceremony, Justice (R) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Chairperson, CWP-LAO stated that “incarcerated women are less likely than males to have outside financial support and they do not earn enough from in-prison jobs to pay for necessities quantities are often limited and not always available when needed. it will be easier to ensure more visibility of the excellent work carried out through this partnership by Santex Products and the Sindh Prison Department, thus to improve confidence and self-esteem among the women inmates and the initiative will also help reduce anxiety amongst them.

Santex Products’s Butterfly Outreach Program aims to transform cultural attitudes, as well as break down barriers for women in the most practical ways, by helping them achieve their basic rights.