The Women wing of the National Democratic Congress chapter of the Upper East Region has rubbished and denied claims by one Ms Etonam Sey, Founder of Inspire Today Foundation, that some girls in Northern Ghana use clay as substitute for sanitary Pad.
Ms Rita Etonam Sey on Thursday and Friday while on 3Fm and GTV discussing mensural hygiene and the challenge that women go through to access mensural products, made a categorical claim that some young girls in Nothern Ghana use clay as substitute for sanitary pads.
“Jonnie Hughes if you look at what the girls go through, we’ve been to places where in the North, I tell myself I’ve seen poverty as going to the North .The girls use clay, clay as substitute for sanitary Pad.”
Her comment has attracted wide condemnation from social media users from the Northern part of Ghana with many calling on her to retract and apologise for lying about girls from the Northern belt of Ghana and others telling her sponsors not to give her any funding.
The Upper East Regional Women Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, Madam Fawzia Abagnama Yakubu in a press release on Saturday 27th May,2023, described her claim as palpable lie and that never in the history of the Northern part of Ghana have girls ever used clay as substitute for pads.
“Our attention has been drawn to a viral video purported to be an interview with one Ms.
Etonam Sey, founder of Inspire Today Foundation on some TV networks in Ghana, amongst
them is 3fm and GTV, claiming some Northern girls use clay as sanitary pads. We are stating unequivocally that it’s a palpable lie, and not even in the ancient days did girls of Northern Ghana ever use clay as substitute for sanitary pads”
The women wing of the NDC asked to know from madam Etonam Rita, among others how the clay absorbs blood, how it is placed unto the underwear, and the part of Northern Ghana that she saw girls using clay as pads.
“If we may ask;
- In what form is this clay, and how will that clay absorb their flow (blood), 2.How will that clay be placed onto an underwear, 3.How thick or thin is that clay, 4.Specifically, which part of northern Ghana, region and community?”
The women say although they appreciate her effort at distributing some sanitary materials to young ladies in the Upper East Region, they will not tolerate such wicked falsehood in tje name of Advocacy to help others
They have therefore given Ms Rita Etonam seven days to retract and apologise for spreading falsehood about girls in Northern Ghana.
“As much as the girls of the school you visited appreciate your kind gestures and efforts to aiding and improving their menstrual hygiene, we won’t take such wicked falsehood in the name of advocacy to help others.”
“Such wicked falsehood is an affront to the dignity of Northern girls. Hence, we demand proof of such claims or an unqualified apology via the same platforms she used in peddling such falsehood within 7 days. Anything short of the aforementioned demands, we shall
advise ourselves accordingly.
The women have also added their voice to scrap the 20% luxury tax and 12.5% Vat imposed on sanitary pads or use the tax exemption law to exempt taxes on sanitary Pads to make them affordable.
“We will want to use this opportunity to call on government to either reconsider the current tax rate on sanitary pads or use the Tax exemption law to exempt taxes on sanitary pads to make them affordable”
They have also suggested to government to consider adding monthly quota sanitary pads to the FSHS girls’beneficiaries to help them peacefully go through their natural cycle without hindrance to class attendance.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com