According to TUIK data, hygienic pads, whose unit price was 0.6692 TL in December last year, increased by 51.04 percent in a year. Accordingly, in December 2021, the unit price of "sanitary napkins" was 1.0561 TL, but the unit price of sanitary pads in the markets exceeds 2 TL. According to the research of the Deep Poverty Network, 82 percent of women in Turkey do not have access to sanitary pads.
While the general rate of VAT in Turkey is 18%, 8% or 1% VAT is charged on certain products. The value-added tax applied to feminine hygiene products in Turkey is 18%. In other words, feminine hygiene products are calculated from the highest tax segment in terms of VAT.
Along with high taxes and exorbitant prices, many women and girls also face difficulties in accessing hygienic products. The problem of women not being able to access the basic hygiene products they use during their menstrual period is called "menstrual poverty" and refugees, seasonal agricultural workers, and the poor in the cities are among the groups that encounter this problem most frequently.
We Need to Talk Association, founded by İlayda Eskitaşçıoğlu and Bahar Aldanmaz, also works to solve the problem of women and girls in accessing hygienic products, especially in rural areas and disadvantaged areas. However, he tries to understand the menstrual poverty in Turkey with data. You can find the survey they prepared here.
