00:00This is a pad and this is a tampon and Scotland, I'm really proud to say, has just passed historic
00:06legislation to ensure that women, girls and people of menstruate across our country can access them freely.
00:22There were no votes against, there were no abstentions, the motion is agreed
00:26and the Period Products Free Provision Scotland Bill is passed.
00:39It's incredible, it's a historic milestone for Scotland to have passed this legislation, it's a
00:44world first but importantly it's going to have real lasting impact on women and people and girls
00:49and people who menstruate across the country. We don't just tackle period poverty but we also tackle
00:54period dignity and we ensure that we raise the debate and discussion around what it is to have
00:59a happier period and we can help support many more countries around the world
01:03to ensure that women and gender equality can be realised in this way.
01:15Ensuring that people have access to period products is a matter of basic equality.
01:19The legislation creates a universal right of access to free period products.
01:24It will therefore make products more easily available,
01:27it will promote period dignity and it will improve the lives of many across our country.
01:43We've been taking a lot of action and activity, supporting it financially for a long time,
01:47trying to shape and hone the best ways to provide products in what settings, what type of
01:54products and we've been doing that in partnership with local authorities, we've been doing that with
01:59our educational institutions. So products are already available through the funding we've
02:04offered in schools, in colleges, in universities, now most recently in community settings and libraries.
02:12This bill though, this legislation locks in that, it makes it a legal responsibility for that to happen.
02:25The principle of the bill is about universal access, so wherever you are, whatever you do,
02:31you should have access to products. Women will choose or choose not to access these products
02:37but the principle of the legislation is to ensure that every woman can have access to those products.
02:54Period products are not a luxury, they're a necessity for people, you can't go without it.
03:05But unfortunately, period poverty is a symptom of poverty more generally.
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