The Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, Otiko Afisah Djaba has condemned the practice of girls exchanging sexual favours for access to basic hygiene products, particularly sanitary pads.

She said this is unacceptable considering Ghana's many years of independence and the ongoing efforts to promote women's rights and empowerment.

 Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, she stated that "we are still here talking about girls selling themselves for sanitary towels. It is unacceptable. It is totally unacceptable for a beautiful country like Ghana, so I condemn it, and I feel strongly that parents must sit up. We have a responsibility to our children, and we need to help them understand their femininity, menstruation, hygiene, and all the things that go with it. We also need to support them in buying the towel. Apart from that, we can also have the schools educating the children”.

The former minister of gender, children, and social protection wants the government to remove taxes on sanitary pads and also called for greater investment in domestic production of the essential product.

She urged the government to include tax-free sanitary pads in its development policies, highlighting the important role these products play in the health and well-being of women and girls.

“I do not know why we are taking so long about these things. It looks like anything that has to do with women should be relegated to the background, but we are saying that we have had enough and this issue must be addressed now, not next year"she argued.

“Even in celebration of tomorrow's day [World Menstrual Hygiene Day], the government can come out of the magnanimity of their hearts and tell the people of Ghana that look, our girls are so important to us that we are waiving the taxes, and we are going to begin these factories to Ghana, and that would be a step in the right direction,” she noted.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management at a global level.

It was initiated by the German-based NGO WASH United in 2013 and observed for the first time in 2014.