Two years ago, the Canadian government announced a pilot initiative in their 2022-2023 budget for menstrual equity, providing $25 million to distribute free menstrual supplies to low-income populations.
More than eight years earlier, Zeba Khan had watched an online video and launched Free Periods Canada, a non-profit. But Canada is not the first country to entertain the concept at a government level. In 2021, New Zealand announced they’d be available in schools. And last year, Scotland became the first nation to make period products free and available for “anyone who needs them.” Despite progress globally and in the West, the stigma surrounding a woman’s maturity still holds far too much influence.
According to Plan Canada, a stunning 58 per cent of women feel embarrassed about their menstrual cycle. The Edge, A leader’s Magazine spoke with Khan about her journey and the future of menstrual equity.
Free Periods began after you saw a video online correct? Can you tell us what inspired you, and why it’s so important for Canadian women?
I came across a video on YouTube about a couple of homeless folks. I saw that [the] homeless have a hard time managing their periods. And it was the first time after moving here I saw something like that [here]. I moved when I was 18, and before, everything I knew about Canada and the US, I had this very naive idea that things were super developed, nothing bad happens here. That was just so surprising to see. I was so young and I had just moved half across the world. I felt like I could do anything. When I saw that video, I was angry, but also fired up to do something about it. I felt like I could make a difference.
The government notes three necessities: free access, education and a stigma-free social climate. Do you feel there’s anything left out?
I’m very glad to see that education is getting attention. In the past, there’s been a lot of focus on the product distribution aspect of it. That makes sense, but something that has been missing is the focus on the education and the awareness piece around period poverty and menstrual equity. Let’s say that you work with a school administration to make menstrual supplies really accessible in the washroom. But you don’t talk about it. You’re not really addressing the root cause. What’s the guarantee that the next admin person that comes in will still continue to make it really accessible? It’s just not enough to put out free menstrual supplies, but to also address why it needs to be free.
You’ve spoken in the past about your personal experience as a Muslim woman in Bangladesh. How did that stigma change when you moved here, or did it?
Something that really fascinates me is the difference between religion and culture. It’s a very subtle difference. I don’t think my Muslim identity has negatively impacted my experiences with menstruation. It’s actually been the opposite for me. The challenge of the stigma, I think, is more around the culture I grew up in. There was this culture of silence around it. Menstrual products would be wrapped up and dropped in my room. My mom or my brothers would buy it, but we would just never talk about it. When I moved here, the biggest difference I saw is that you’re able to just buy it. That’s where the difference ended. Because once you get [them] from the shelves, you’re still not talking about it.
Can you talk a little about the change you’ve seen personally since Free Periods Canada started?
Personally, I never expected our initiative to go as big as it did. It started as a student club, and we initially just began by collecting natural supplies and distributing it to folks who couldn’t afford it. We’ve got employees, we’ve got fantastic partnerships with the government and with other nonprofit organizations. I was constantly growing with the organization from a leadership point of view. It’s been really fantastic, and so much has changed in my arsenal capacity to lead. When we started, there were only [a few] other groups that were doing solo work. Now, there are hundreds. I think a big win for all of our work and all of our collective efforts has been [the] pilot initiative, and women and gender equality Canada.
What hope do you see for the future for menstrual products in Canada?
We are hopeful that the data that the government is collecting will help them make this permanent. A lot of provincial governments are also taking initiatives. If it’s not at a federal level, hopefully at a provincial level. Governments change, priorities change, and we can’t really take anything for granted.
Kenny Hedges | Contributing Writer